State of Emergency
by Botticelli50
Summary: Stressed out and isolated by the Iran crisis, Harry shows signs of cracking up and his concerned field officers resolve to bring Ruth back in the hope of restoring him to his old self. Written in a script format.
1. Chapter 1

_A STATE OF EMERGENCY_

This has been written in response to the arrival of Connie and to seeing Harry on the Grid still without Ruth. It will just be a short piece – yes really this time! As I don't really have time to write at the moment – I haven't even finished the next chapter of The Past Revisited yet – I decided to leave out all descriptive passages and write this in script form, so bear with me.

Mis-en-scene 

_A general shot of the Grid pans across individual desks. The lighting is dramatic, ominous, gloomy shades of ice and midnight blue with green overtones._

_Connie is at a desk. Her eyes are focused on a computer screen, with an exasperated expression in her eyes, as her fingers drum subconsciously on the mouse._

_Malcolm is sitting nearby, absorbed in his own world, as he scans through endless CCTV images._

_Adam and Ros are perched on Jo's desk, apparently discussing the man of middle-eastern appearance, whose photograph is in Jo's hand; but their eyes are actually trained on Harry; whose distant figure is seen through the glass wall of his office, slumped in his seat with his right hand covering his face._

SCENE 1 

_ROS: _He's not going to make it if he carries on like this.

_ADAM (tersely, but not with 100 per cent conviction): _Yes he will. He always does.

_JO (does eyes brimming with tears):_ He feels responsible.

_ROS (irritated & also stricken with guilt): _Being lachrymose won't bring Zaf back.

And it won't help Harry. He needs someone he can turn to.

_ADAM (raises his eyebrows questioningly at Ros): _That's not possible. She's dead.

_ROS (in exasperated tone snaps back): _Oh for God's sake Adam! There isn't time

To play parlour games. We're being dragged into another war in the Middle

East, one that we definitely don't want and can't win and thanks to our little

kidnapping jaunt, the whole spy community and the CIA in particular, are

out to destroy us. This is no time for Harry to weaken. Whatever it takes, we

need him firing on all cylinders.

_ADAM: _Even if I wanted to, I couldn't bring her back. I don't know where she is.

Neither does Harry, before you ask.

_ROS (in a quiet measured voice): _Yes, but I bet Malcolm does.

_JO: _If you're talking about who I think you're talking about, it's not possible.

Firstly she would be arrested as soon as she appeared and secondly we don't

have time to mount a recovery operation for a defunct agent.

_ROS:_ Desperate times call for desperate measures. Facing imminent widespread

Terrorist attacks and all out war with Iran; I'm sure the Home Secretary has

better things to do than ponder resurrections.

_ADAM(nods his agreement at Ros): _Who will do it?

_ROS: _Connie.

_ADAM (in an alarmed, urgent voice): _Connie?

_ROS (Patient but exasperated, as if explaining table manners to a small child):_

Yes, Connie. She's bright, ruthless, experienced and not emotionally attached.

_Adam, glancing at Harry, to make sure he's still preoccupied with the cares of office; moves swiftly over to Connie's desk and bending down whispers in her ear._

_ADAM: _We need your help Connie. Well actually, Harry needs your help.

_CONNIE(frowns up at him):_ He's needed it for the last decade and managed just

fine. So what's so urgent all of a sudden?

_ADAM (nodding towards the immobile figure through the glass wall): _Look at him.

_CONNIE: _So touching you care Adam; but what's it got to do with me?

_ADAM: _Not here. Meet me in the corridor in 5 minutes.

_Connie nods her assent curtly as she glances across at Harry and purses her lips together._

SCENE 2 

_Long shot view of corridor that is lit in neutral shades, but with highlighted contrast that throws dark shadows behind the figures. Connie bustles up the corridor towards the hovering figure of Adam, looking like an irritated headmistress on a mission._

_CONNIE: _Alright Biggles. What do you want? I'm busy.

_ADAM: _Harry is looking fragile at a time when he we can't afford anything less

than a hundred per cent focus.

_CONNIE: _Isn't that rather a case of the pot calling the kettle black. You're still not

fully recovered from that PTSD nonsense, not to mention wasting

valuable time wooing the lovely Ros. Look to your own focus before you

start on Harry. He just needs a few more shots of the amber nectar and a

good night's sleep.

_ADAM (A slight edge to his voice):_ We both know that's not true.

_CONNIE (Equally snarky): _Well what do you want me to do about it? Hold his hand?

Pop some valium in his nightcap?

_ADAM: _No. I want you to find someone.

_CONNIE (looks up at him sharply as her beady eyes harden to an alert expression): _

Who?

_ADAM: _Her name is, or rather was, Ruth Evershed.

_CONNIE(interrupting impatiently):_ Yes, yes, I've heard the whole story. Talented,

Intelligence analyst. Used as patsy by Oliver Mace to gain leverage over

Harry; but 'evidence' (_here Connie makes imaginary inverted comma _

_gestures with her fingers)_ proved she was the guilty party and she

'drowned' (_more inverted comma gestures)._ And?

_ADAM (glancing round to check they are not overheard): _She was more than just an

able officer to Harry. She was his confidante. (_pause)_ He was in love with

her, (_another pause and his voice softens to a whisper)_ he still is.

_CONNIE (raises her eyebrows and whistles softly – she is genuinely surprised):_

Old Harry finding love again, well, well. Screwing junior staff, very

naughty.

_ADAM: _No, nothing like that. They didn't do anything, but the chemistry

between them was obvious.

_CONNIE: _Well more fool him. Protocol certainly didn't stop him in the past.

Anyway what's this tryst got to do with the present situation?

_ADAM: _When Ruth (_pause)_ left, Harry was really upset. He didn't

show it of course, you know Harry; but he's had this constant

haunted look in his eyes ever since. The first months were hell.

He was bad-tempered, unpredictable and made all the replacement

analyst's lives an absolute misery. In fact, that's partly why he's so

pleased you agreed to come back. No desk spook lasted more than

three weeks. If we can get Ruth back here she'll not only be

invaluable in this present crisis, she'll also give Harry something

to hang onto in his life that's positive.

_CONNIE:(with a smirk on her lips) _I wouldn't have put you down as a romantic, Adam.

_ADAM: _I'm not being romantic Connie. I'm being practical. We need Harry at

the peak of his game. He needs a kick up the backside and I think Ruth is

the answer.

_CONNIE: _So where am I going to find Cinderella?

_ADAM (a note of hesitation in his voice): _I don't know. Zaf was the one who

organised her legend. I think Malcolm will have the answer, but it

won't be easy prying the answer out of him. He was very close to Ruth.

_CONNIE(smiles and looks directly at Adam): _Don't worry. I'll deal with Malcolm.

I'll need you to cover for me. By the way, what makes you so sure

Ms Evershed will be willing to come back? It seems to be she got a

pretty bum deal. Even worse than having to play farmer Giles in Sussex

for the last ten years like I did. If I was her, I'd tell us to take a running

jump.

_ADAM (speaking with perhaps greater assurance than he feels):_ Ruth was

absolutely loyal to the Service and to Harry. She adored him. Explain

the situation and his present frame of mind. She'll come whatever the

personal cost.

_Connie nods her assent and walks quickly away from Adam, back onto the Grid and across to Malcolm's desk._

_**Trying to write in a script format is a new departure for me, so I would be grateful if you could hit the review button and leave me your thoughts before I try and write any more along these lines. Thanks.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**SCENE 3**_

_Camera opens scene in close up on Malcolm whose head is bent down as he concentrates on carrying out minute adjustments to a surveillance device that is on the desk in front of him. The camera pans out to reveal that he is in his 'gadget room' and we see Connie watching him from the doorway before she enters and shuts the door._

_CONNIE_: I need something from you.

_MALCOLM_ (_looking up expectantly_): Yes, what is it?

_CONNIE(in a deceptively casual voice_): I want the current whereabouts of Ruth Evershed.

_MALCOLM (blanches and assumes his 'rabbit in the headlights' expression)_: I don't

know what you're talking about. Ruth Evershed died fourteen months

ago.

_CONNIE (frowns and leans over him talking in a soft but slightly menacing voice_):

You won't get to heaven telling porkies Malcolm. Adam's filled me in.

According to him we need her back, both for her skills and to help out

moping Muriel. Personally I can't see Harry as some love-sick

character escaped out of a Barbara Cartland novel, but I'm willing to give

the delectable Adam the benefit of the doubt, given that he must be an

authority on broken hearts and at the very least we could certainly do

with her linguistic skills at the moment.

_MALCOLM (regaining some of his composure but still looking intimidated_): I'm

afraid it's not possible. I don't know where she is anymore and anyway

she'd be arrested as soon as she came anywhere near Thames House.

_CONNIE_: Stop prevaricating Malcolm, it makes your wrinkles deeper. Now be a

dear, give me her address and let me worry about avoiding detection.

_MALCOLM(looking simultaneously determined and defeated_): Does Harry know

About what you're planning?

_CONNIE (clearly exasperated_): Oh for goodness sake Malcolm, what do you think?

I've already told you, it's a hairbrained scheme cooked up by Ros and

Adam . Can you honestly see Harry saying (_with heavy sarcasm_)' of course

what a splendid idea. Drop all surveillance of the Americans and Iranians

hellbent on starting another war in the Middle East, let's all go and find

Ruth Evershed.' I'm sceptical that re-uniting Harry with his true love is

going to be beneficial to his moral compass, but I agree it's worth a

shot; he, on the other hand, would have us all lined up against a wall for

such a suggestion. So, in answer to your inane question, Harry does

not know. Now come on, spill the beans.

_MALCOLM (glancing nervously at the door, lowers his voice to a whisper_): She's in

The UK.

_CONNIE_: Oh good. I won't even need my passport. Location please.

_MALCOLM (in a petulant schoolboy voice_): MOD.

_CONNIE (briskly_): Come on Malcolm. I don't have time for guessing games.

_MALCOLM_ : I'm serious. We couldn't risk trying to send Ruth abroad with 6

watching all routes and having access to Interpol surveillance. So

where do you hide a needle but in a haystack.

_CONNIE (raises her eyebrows in both surprise and grudging admiration_): That's

A very dangerous game to play Malcolm, I'm surprised at you. Getting

rid of Sarah obviously released hidden depths. Weren't you worried

she would be spotted by someone from the Security Forces?

_MALCOLM (with a wry smile_): Good God no. I placed her at Welbeck Abbey.

No one ventures out there, it's the MOD's equivalent of a Siberian stalag.

The young and trendy get into Porton Down or joint operations with the

Americans; those of more modest ambition bury themselves in Whitehall

and hope for early retirement; it's only the bottom of the pile that get

shunted up to Nottinghamshire. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a

fascinating place. (_assumes his friendly National Trust Guide tone of voice_)

Built by one of the truly great British eccentrics, one W J C Scott Bentinck,

the fifth Duke of Portland. He was a recluse who went to extraordinary

lengths to avoid all human contact. He communicated with his servants

via notes left in boxes and his food was served through a hatch. If he ever

ventured out of his house he had himself sealed inside a wooden box.

Anyway, for some equally eccentric reason, he decided to extend the

family house by building a second mansion underground. He had 15,000

men employed on its construction in the mid C19th. It included a library

nearly 250 foot long and the largest ballroom in England with space for

up to 2,000 guests. A network of tunnels and secret passageways connected

a vast complex of rooms. Welbeck Abbey was taken over by the MOD in

the 1960's. The underground area was reinforced to withstand a nuclear

attack – it would literally be a home-from-home for you Connie, but

obviously on a much larger scale to your bunker. These days the space is

mostly used for storage and part is, I believe, converted into a gym. The

MOD had ambitious plans about 12 years ago to relocate the London

operation there as a cost-cutting exercise and they spent more than a

million pounds refurbishing the ballroom for functions; but those with

season tickets to Glynbourne and Stamford Bridge didn't see the appeal

of the move and sabotaged the scheme to the extent that it is in permanent

limbo.

_CONNIE_: Thank you for the potted history lesson Malcolm, but I do actually know

about Welbeck Abbey. I was seconded there for two weeks, back in, um

(_pauses momentarily_) the Spring of 1993 I think it was. Rather a gloomy

place as I recall, more Badger's den than Toad Hall – all peeling brown

paint and linolium floors; but lovely grounds, I grant you.

(_change of tone to her voice as she becomes more authoritative_)

So. Where will I find Ruth?

_MALCOLM (frowning_): You've got to promise me to be very discreet Connie. I

don't want you wrecking her cover. She's settled there.

_CONNIE_: You know me Malcolm. The soul of discretion. Now come on.

_MALCOLM (sighs, still hesitating, unsure as to whether he should continue_):

She's working as an archivist in the non-classified section of the records

Office. She goes by the name of Ruth Armstrong.

_CONNIE (nodding her appreciation_): As a matter of interest Malcolm. How did you

get her past MOD screening?

_MALCOLM (smiles wryly & pats the side of his nose with his forefinger_): I'm afraid

That's classified information Connie. Good luck and remember be careful.

After the fiasco the other day with Aurora, the MOD are not feeling very

kindly towards us. I hear Harry is photo of choice for target practice for

senior staff. The last thing we need is to give them more ammunition, so

to speak.

_CONNIE (pats Malcolm's arm_): You worry about keeping Harry occupied. Let me

worry about Ms Evershed. Now, I'll need as recent a photo as possible and

some ID.

_MALCOLM_: Please Connie, she's a dear friend. Keep her safe. She's been through

an awful lot.

_CONNIE_: Yes, yes, Malcolm, don't fuss like a mother hen. It's about time you

found someone yourself. You're beginning to sound like one of those

retired Oxford dons who potter round their cottage gardens in a pinny and

matching gloves moaning about the state of their dahlias.

_Connie leaves the room & the camera tracks her as she moves across the Grid._

****

****

**_SCENE 4_**

_The camera captures Connie head on as she opens the door to Harry's office without knocking and stands just inside the room with her arms crossed and a 'mother knows best' expression on her face._

_CONNIE: _You've got to pull yourself together Harry. Your team is rattled. They

need a rock to cling to and at the moment you're as much adrift as

they are. (_pause & then with false jollity) _Come on Harry 'aut non tentaris

aut perfice'. This isn't like you.

_HARRY (dropping his hand to reveal a face drawn with anxiety and exhaustion_

_replies in a low voice):_ And what is 'me' Connie? You did the right thing in

getting out.

_CONNIE(with heavy irony): _I was pushed, remember?

_HARRY: _Well I wish someone would push me. Some things demand too high a

sacrifice.

_CONNIE: _What sacrifice? Morality?

_HARRY (softly, with a contemplative look in his eye): _Everything. (_heartbeat_

_pause and then in a softer voice still) _Everyone.

_CONNIE (in her no-nonsense headmistress voice): _This is indulgent morbid

nonsense and it's got to stop. I don't care who or what you're moping

about, you've got a job to do.

_Connie goes across to the corner unit and pours a generous tumbler of whisky and an equally generous tumbler of gin and carries them across to Harry's desk._

Now get that down you and come out of your corner fighting.

_Harry, with a peeved expression on his face, frowns and does as he's told_.

_HARRY_: You missed your vocation Connie, you should have been a Nanny.

_CONNIE_: Well that's an improvement. You used to accuse me of being Margaret Thatcher.

_HARRY (smiling reluctantly_): I thought it was the same thing.(_he pauses and sighs_) Alright Connie. I know this is not the time for self-indulgence _(he smiles at her_) Thanks.

_CONNIE (smiles back but unemotionally_): It's lonely at the top of the tree but you chose to climb up there Harry. You can't have it both ways.

_HARRY_: So it seems. Please tell the others we will meet in half an hour. I want updates on all intelligence that has come in.

_Connie moves out of the room and calls back briefly over her shoulder_

_CONNIE_: You'll have to start without me, I'll be chasing up an old contact at GCHQ this afternoon who might be able to shed some light on the recent chatter from the Iranian Embassy. I might have to go over to Cheltenham to meet them off site. I'll be back by this evening.

_HARRY (narrowing his eyes and regarding Connie with suspicion_): What old Contact?

_CONNIE (smiles and taps the side of her nose_): Don't be silly Harry. You know the rules. A contact is a contact. I'll share my last Rollo with you but not a contact.

_HARRY (sighs and purses his lips_): Bring back into the fold means precisely that, not operating parallel agendas and secret contacts – I had enough of that with Tessa.

_CONNIE: _She got greedy and careless.

_HARRY:_ She was perfidious and she almost wrecked a good team.

_CONNIE_: Well what can I say Harry. You never were a very good judge of character where women were concerned – yours truly being the exception obviously. You could tell just by looking at Tessa that she would fling her veils off to the highest bidder – you were just lucky you didn't end up with your head on a platter.(smiles encouragingly at him) You can relax Harry. I'm not interested in skimming off a private income, Granny Lucinda's inheritance will do me nicely.

_Harry groans and flicks his hands to indicate to Connie to leave him. His eyes narrow as he stares after her retreating figure. We can sense he is suspicious of her. He picks up the phone._

_HARRY: _Adam. Do you know where Connie is off to? (_pause)_ Was that at her

suggestion? _(pause)_ OK. Well keep an eye on her. Connie's one of

the most capable people I know and utterly devious. She doesn't so

much run parallel agendas as multiple strands of intrigue. A contact is

never just a contact with Connie.

_The camera switches to Connie and follows her away from Harry's office as she walks briskly across the Grid, quietly picking up a discreet envelope from Malcolm and giving an imperceptible nod in Adam's direction before exiting through the pods_.

_We pan across the other members of the team sitting at their desks, a few desultory figures wandering across the space with files & through the glass of Harry's desk where he is sitting with a small silver-framed photograph in his hands. The camera angle prevents us from seeing the photo, but the look of sorrow and love on Harry's face provides the answer._

* * *

_The Latin tag used by Connie is by Ovid & translates as:'either do not attempt or else achieve._

Thanks for all your kind reviews for the first couple of scenes-, please keep them coming and find out what happens at Welbeck Abbey!


	3. Chapter 3

_**SCENE 5**_

_Welbeck Abbey. The camera follows a small white van as it drives slowly down a long drive through rolling parkland studded with mature trees and grazed by comatose sheep. The camera moves in to frame a mid-range shot of the van as it comes to a halt in front of a barrier guarded by two men carrying submachine guns._

_CONNIE (winds down the window of the van and leaning out, says, in a bright, breezy _

_voice): _Good afternoon gentlemen. Do you mind awfully pointing those

the other way. You're making me nervous.

_FIRST GUARD (obviously bored and not in the mood for idle chit chat with a woman_

_in her sixties): _What's your business here? This is MOD property,

there's no entry for members of the public.

_CONNIE: _(_waspishly):_ Yes, thank you young man. I'm not so senile that I can't

read the signs. I'm here on MOD business. I run a small catering

business (_gestures to the side of the van which has embellished on it: _

_**GRACE AND FLAVOUR – Caterers of Distinction. **_

_**Any size of venue considered)**_

That's me, Grace Montague. I'm here to see Mr Prior in (_here Connie leans_

_back into the van and retrieves a letter from the passenger seat which she _

_reads through, spectacles perched on the end of her nose.) _Oh yes, um,

Functions Management – such an awkward name, I expect it's a typing error.

_FIRST GUARD (with growing impatience): _Can I see that letter please?

_CONNIE (smiling sweetly): _Of course young man. Oh yes, and they also sent me this.

_(she holds out a plastic pass with her photo attached.)_

_FIRST GUARD (by now seriously irritated): _You should have shown this in the

first place and not wasted my time.

_CONNIE (with insulted expression and indignant voice): _Well! Obviously good

manners are no longer a recruitment priority at the MOD. I'll have

you know young man …………..

_Her sentence is cut short by the barrier being raised and the guard waving her through with a sour expression on his face. Connie smiles to herself with satisfaction as she continues her descent down the tree-lined avenue that leads down to the sprawling mass that is the main building of Welbeck Abbey. Another guard gesticulates to her to park in a large paved area that was once the eccentric Duke's private ice rink. Connie parks slowly and with obvious difficulty, eventually manoeuvering to park crookedly over two of the marked bays. She goes round to the rear of the van and retrieves a large wicker basket_.

_CONNIE (in a shrill, raised voice): _Excuse me young man. Could you please carry this into the house for me, it's rather heavy.

_Without speaking, the third guard nods his assent, swings the basket up on his arm, strides across the gravelled driveway and following Connie, deposits it inside the main entrance._

_CONNIE (bustling up to the receptionist at the desk situated just inside the main door,__articulates in clipped vowels of exaggerated gentility): _I'm from Grace and Flavour caterers, Mr Price is expecting me.

_RECEPTIONIST (looks up from her magazine and smiles vacantly at Connie_):Mr Price?

_CONNIE (producing the typed letter): _Yes, Mr Price in Function Management.

_RECEPTIONIST (as though a light has been switched on in her brain):_Oh, Function Management, of course.

_CONNIE (with eyebrows raised in surprise): _So it's not a typing error then?

_RECEPTIONIST (looking confused): _Pardon?

_CONNIE (sighs): _Never mind. Can you give me directions?

_RECEPTIONIST: _I'll get someone to take you.

_CONNIE (apologetic):_ Oh no. Please don't go to such a fuss. I'm good

at finding my way around; it's second nature in my line of

work. Just point me in the right direction.

_RECEPTIONIST(relieved that she can go back to the article she was reading_):

Well if you're sure. Just go up the stairs, through the doors on the left, down

to the end of the corridor, left along the next corridor and it's the third

door on the right. It's got Functions Management on the door, so you

can't miss it. (_looks at Connie doubtfully)_ Are you sure you'll be able

to manage? What about that basket it looks heavy?

_CONNIE (firmly and smiling sweetly): _No, absolutely no problem thank you. So kind.

_(she reaches into the basket and brings out a cellophane bag with chocolate_

_dipped strawberries inside which she holds out to the girl_) Here, try one of

my samples.

_**SCENE 6 **_

_The camera remains static as Connie moves quickly up the stairs. She disappears into the first unlocked door she finds, stows the basket in a cupboard together with her overcoat. Placing the MOD pass around her neck, she adjusts her embroidered scarf and walks purposefully out of the door and down the corridor. The camera follows her from the rear as she moves quickly down two flights of stairs and into a lift. The camera meets her face on as she comes out of the lift and moves through double glass doors into a cavernous wood-panelled room covered floor to ceiling with bookshelves stacked with ancient leather-bound tomes; below which are row upon row of black filing cabinets. Bright tungsten lights illuminate the central area of the huge room, but the remainder lies in half shadow. Row upon row of desks line up in the central area, approximately half of which are occupied by figures bent over computer screens or piles of folders._

_Unnoticed, Connie picks up a large bundle of folders from a waiting trolley and slips an A4 file that she has tucked under her arm into the top one as her eyes swiftly scan the room. The camera follows her gaze as it shifts rapidly from desk to desk until it pauses on one bent head, half obscured by piles of box folders and files. Connie moves rapidly in the direction of the slight figure_.

_CONNIE_: Excuse me. I wonder if you can help me. I'm looking for a file that

went missing about 14 months ago.

_RUTH (looks up with some impatience, as she is being distracted from her work_):

Well possibly; if you can give me more details.

_CONNIE (in an even, quiet voice):_ Certainly. (_she hands over the top folder from her_ _pile to Ruth, who opens it. The camera zooms in for a close-up shot ofRuth's eyes that register panic and alarm as she reads the contents of the file._

_RUTH (becomes rigid with fear and responds in a low and stricken voice_): Who are

you?

_CONNIE_: A friend, don't worry. Adam sent me. Harry is having his version of a mid-life crisis and his

colleagues seem to think that you'll be able to help.

_RUTH (whose eyes dart around the room to check that none of the other staff can_

_overhear their conversation, remains suspicious of Connie_): Why you?

_CONNIE_: Because Harry gives me a longer rope than the others and I was the one

best able to slip away.

_RUTH (still in shock, but trying to pull herself together_): You're working for Harry?

_CONNIE_: He's brought me in to handle intelligence. Apparently he wasn't too

kind to your replacements. I've got a thicker skin and also Harry and I go

back a long way – I know where his skeletons are hidden. In fact I figured

in some of them.

_RUTH (realisation dawning on her_): You're Connie Stevens?

_CONNIE (pulling up a chair and sitting across the desk from Ruth_): Yes.

_RUTH_: We can't talk here.

_CONNIE_ (_shaking her head in disagreement_): On the contrary it's the safest place.

Malcolm, the old fox, realised this when he put you in here. The MOD are

too old fashioned and penny pinching to install the necessary surveillance

equipment to adequately monitor their staff in this behemoth institution.

(_rubbing her hands up and down her arms_) They're too stingy to even heat

the place. Anywhere outside this dungeon, our every move would be

observed, this is probably one of the few places in the UK where Big

Brother is definitely not watching – a fine irony, don't you think?

_RUTH_: How do I know you are who you say you are?

_CONNIE_: We can play 20 questions later. I'm on limited time here before I arouse

suspicion. If you don't trust me ring Malcolm.

_RUTH_: Does Harry have any idea you are here?

_CONNIE_: Obviously not.

_RUTH_: I can't come back.

_CONNIE_: Why?

_RUTH_: If I come back, they will use it to destroy him.

_CONNIE_: If you don't come back, he will destroy himself. There's been (pause)

there still is, a very difficult situation.

_RUTH_ (in hushed tones): Iran? The Tehran train crash? The mystery virus?

_CONNIE _(with a slight smile as she gazes directly at Ruth): Yes. You're more

switched on than you appear. (_continues, leaning forward across the desk_

_and speaking more quietly_.) There have been losses and it all seems to have

got to Harry. We can't afford for him to fall apart and the rest of the team

seem to think that you can help; not to mention the fact that we are more

overstretched than ever and could really do with another body on the Grid

who is experienced, knows the language and knows what they are doing.

My personal opinion is that as far as Harry is concerned, opening up

emotional wounds is only going to make him more unstable, but I've been

outvoted on that one.

_RUTH (blushes involuntarily_): emotional wounds?

_CONNIE(impatiently_): We don't have time to be coy Ruth. You have to organise a

couple of weeks leave – I don't know, the death of a close relative,

whatever fits best with your legend. I'll meet you back at your flat at 5.

We've got to get back to London asap.

_RUTH (alarmed and confused_): But I can't just reappear in Thames House as if

nothing had happened. I won't get as far as the front door before I'll be

spotted. What help is that going to be?

_CONNIE (firmly_): You leave the details to Malcolm and I.

_RUTH (angry with tear-filled eyes_): Stop! Just stop this! I won't be

rail-roaded. I left my life, my job (_heartbeat pause_) everything, so

that Harry could continue as Head of Section D and I wouldn't

be the means by which Oliver Mace destroyed him. I'm not

throwing away all that sacrifice as if it meant nothing. To go back

and create mayhem on your say so. What if I say I won't go back?

(_in an increasingly emotional voice_) that I can't go back?

_CONNIE (briskly but gently_): Well. If it were me, I'd say to hell with it all;

but Malcolm seems to think that you'd be prepared to turn your

life upside down again if it's a good enough reason.

_RUTH_: I need to think about it.

_CONNIE (rising from her chair and picking up her bundle of files_): We

don't have the luxury of time. The whole world is heading for

a catastrophe – there's no time for introspection. Come or

don't come. You've got one hour to decide. I'll be at your flat

as we've agreed. If Harry still means enough to you, if the idea of

Service still has any currency, then take the gamble. Be there.

_Connie turns away from Ruth and walks quickly away. The camera follows her retreating figure and then fades into a close-up of Ruth with her face strained and __distraught as she stares down at the open file in front of her that contains her MI5 profile marked CLOSED and signed Harry Pearce._

_The next shot is of Connie walking through a door marked Functions Management with the basket of samples on her arm, as we hear her voice:_

_CONNIE_: Ah Mr Price I presume. I'm Grace Montague of Grace and Flavour

catering. We have an appointment I believe.

**

* * *

**

**If you enjoyed these two scenes please leave a review & encourage me to write the next ones!**


	4. Chapter 4

**STATE OF EMERGENCY**

**_SCENE 7_**

_**Scene opens in the interior of Ruth's flat, which comprises of the sparsely furnished ground floor of a mullion windowed stone cottage. A few dozen books and a couple of dark red afghan rugs attempt to impose a sense of belonging, but it doesn't seem as if Ruth has had the heart to create another home for herself. The blue/grey lighting conveys a sense of chilled air, as the camera moves through the room and focuses on Ruth curled up on the sofa. Tears course down her cheeks, as she clutches a glass of wine and stares unfocused into the empty iron grate. The doorbell rings, but she doesn't respond. A shadow passes in front of the small window and we hear the back door being opened. Connie appears framed in the kitchen doorway.**_

_CONNIE: _Its very cold in here.

_RUTH (without shifting her stare from the fireplace replies in a quiet distant voice_):

I like it like this. Besides you need low temperatures to be able to hibernate.

_CONNIE: _I thought you were hiding not hibernating.

_RUTH (glancing up and meeting Connie's gaze briefly): _I can see why you lasted so

long with Harry. He loves hair-splitting.

_CONNIE (in a dry, brittle tone):_ I'm told he loves you.

_RUTH (looks away, shakes her head slightly & murmurs): _Nothing was ever said.

_CONNIE: _Things that matter seldom are. So? Are you going to hold his emotional

reticence against him? What did you expect from Harry Pearce:

passionate declarations on bended knee? Don't get me wrong; at heart

he's more a lover than a warrior and certainly more romantic than all

those latter-day Romeos who wear their hearts on their sleeves; but

Harry's old school. Noblesse oblige and all that. He's wedded himself

to the Service and doesn't know how to balance that allegiance with a

personal life. (_chuckles to herself)_ Well, like most of the sad twisted

bastards who've made it to the top in our profession, he's given up

trying to achieve a balance.

_RUTH (in a restrained, measured tone but with a crack in her voice): _I understand

Harry. I always did. This isn't about expecting a commitment – in fact

quite the contrary. If I come back with you, it will place him in an

extremely vulnerable position and it will resurrect ghosts for both of us

which are better left buried.

_CONNIE: _Well, I can see that it was a marriage made in heaven: the stubborn in

pursuit of the obdurate. How on earth did you two get beyond first base?

_RUTH (laughing through her tears)_ We didn't. It just seemed best. (_pause) _Well,

easiest anyway.

_CONNIE: _And how long did you keep up this charade?

_RUTH (blushing): _Well, it's not easy to say when attraction became something more.

(_pause)_ For me, I suppose most of the time I was there. For Harry, (_longer_

_pause)_ it's difficult to know, he's so self contained.

_CONNIE (snorting): _Well the pair of you needed your heads banging together, that's

all I can say. Now stop moping round here and pack your things. We need

to be back in London this evening and I hate night driving.

_RUTH (panicking)_ I can't Connie. It's too dangerous and I've another life now. I've

grown into it; I'm happy (_pause)_ of sorts – content, anyway. What's to be

gained by creating turmoil again?

_CONNIE: _So who's the commitment-phobe now? I haven't come here to play

your fairy godmother. We are under extreme pressure in this Iran

Crisis. Zaf, is missing, presumed dead…..

_RUTH (interrupting, utters a guttural moan): _Oh God no …

_CONNIE (ignoring her): _The team is consequently even more under-manned than

usual and Harry is cracking under the strain. I haven't driven all the way

up here in these circumstances just to play cupid to you two.

We need your expertise as much as Harry needs your support to help pull

everyone through the coming weeks. Now, if you want to wash your

hands of us, that's understandable; but there's more at stake than your

peace of mind.

_RUTH (eyes expressing her highly emotional state whispers almost unaudibly):_

Alright, I'll come.

_CONNIE (briskly): _Jolly good. About time too. Now put together a few things.

Not too many. You might need to move at short notice, best travel

light. (_Connie pauses and casts an appraising eye over Ruth)_ and if

we're stuck, I'm sure I could lend you a few things.

_RUTH (smiles her appreciation): _I'll be ten minutes. Please help yourself to tea

or coffee.

**__**

**__**

**_SCENE 8_**

**_Connie emerges from Ruth's flat and looks round carefully to check they are not being observed and then quickly moves to the van and opens the rear door. Ruth hurries out clutching a large weekend bag and a smaller carpet bag that gapes open to reveal densely packed files and books. The two women settle in the van and Connie drives off. The camera remains static as this scene unfolds, as if it is a surveillance camera hidden in the nearby woodland. The image then fades & switches to the interior of the car_**.

_CONNIE ( tossing a phone out of the glove compartment into Ruth's lap_): Here Ruth.

Ring Malcolm, he's on speed dial 1. Let him know we're on our way. ETA

_(Connie glances at her watch_) I'd say eight.

_RUTH (the expression on her face strained but her voice quiet and even): _Where are

we going exactly?

_CONNIE: _My place. Well not my main house, that's down in Sussex; but I've got a

small flat in Westminster (_she smiles ironically)_ – dull neighbours but a

convenient pied a terre.

_RUTH: _I don't want to compromise you Connie.

_CONNIE: (glances across with shrewd intelligence)_ A bit late for that. Anyway, it's

one in the eye for Oliver Mace. I could never stand that slimy, ambitious

bastard. Nasty piece of work. My mother always used to say: never trust a

man whose eyes are too close together.

_Ruth smiles and speed dials. The phone rings three times. The camera goes to split screen between Malcolm on the Grid and Ruth_.

_MALCOLM (in a quiet, cautious voice): _Hello?

_RUTH: _Hello Malcolm.

_MALCOLM (trying to sound calm, but with suppressed excitement): _How are you?

_RUTH: _Oh, you know. (_pause)_ Fine.

_MALCOLM: _Good.

_RUTH: _I'm with Connie.

_MALCOLM (glancing up from his desk to check that Harry is still in his office):_

Excellent. When will you arrive?

_RUTH: _About eight o'clock. How are things?

_MALCOLM: _Very difficult. You heard about Zaf?

_RUTH (in choked voice): _Yes

_MALCOLM: _(_clearing his throat_): I could really do with your help. There are

over 2,000 cross checks to be made and Harry is spitting feathers that

we aren't making fast enough progress.

_RUTH (her voice catching with emotion as she thinks of Harry in Head of Dept_

_mode): _He always does when there's a crisis.

_MALCOLM: _I can't tell you how good it will be to see you again. I've missed your

calming influence (_pause)_ we all have. Are you going straight to Connies?

_RUTH: _I believe so.

_MALCOLM: _Well, tell her to get back to Thames House asap. Harry's been ranting

about her whereabouts. Adam won't be able to stall him for much

longer.

_RUTH: _Ok. Bye. _(she shuts the phone) _Malcolm says you have to get back to Thames

House as quickly as possible. Harry is asking where you are.

_CONNIE: _Oh he is, is he? (_she punches a number into the Sat Nav unit fixed to the _

_dashboard of the van and says in an impatient and irritated voice):_

I believe you're pestering Malcolm about my whereabouts. I told you I

had to go to Cheltenham to find my contact. The departmental budget

doesn't stretch to a magic carpet or even a helicopter, so how precisely

did you expect me to be back in under five hours? I'm on the return leg

now. I should be back at about 8.30.

_Whilst Connie is conducting this conversation, the camera focuses on Ruth's face as Harry's voice is heard on the handsfree speaker. She places a trembling hand in front of her mouth to stop herself crying out at the shock of hearing his voice again and her eyes fill with tears.)_

_HARRY:_ I don't know where the hell you are Connie; but I'd lay good money that

it's not Cheltenham. I don't have time to play cat and mouse. Get back

here now. I'm two people down. I need you on the Grid; not pursuing your

own private agenda. If you're not sitting at your desk in one hour you'll be

out as quick as you were let in. Do I make myself clear?

_CONNIE (dryly): _Crystal clear. It's comforting to know I'm not indispensable.

_HARRY (irritated): _I didn't say you are indispensable. I said you were needed.

_CONNIE (looking across at the stricken Ruth and winking): _Come on Harry. You

know you love me really.

_HARRY (shouting): _Be back on the premises by eight o'clock Connie or I swear

you'll be clearing your desk. (_the phone goes dead. Connie chuckles_

_and switches the call off) _It's not difficult to get Harry riled if you know

what buttons to push, just as well his bark is worse than his bite most of

the time.

_RUTH (struggling to gain control of her composure): _He sounds quite normal to

me; certainly not at the end of his tether. Are you sure all this is a good

idea?

_CONNIE: _Look Ruth. You know Harry. If he was facing execution by firing

squad, he wouldn't show his feelings. Take it from me, he

desperately needs your help, both professionally and personally.

Now close your eyes and try to get some sleep. We're in for a

long night.

_Ruth turns her head and stares out of the window, her eyes mirroring her state of mind: part trepidation, part love, part indecision._


	5. Chapter 5

STATE OF EMERGENCY

**_SCENE 9_**

**_The camera follows the white van through the darkening streets of central London. It is raining and the windscreen wipers are on. The camera closes in as we see Ruth's pensive pale face staring out at the city she has not seen since her departure 14 months before. Connie skirts round Parliament Square, turns up a narrow side street and parks at one end of a single row of discreet mews houses_**.

_CONNIE(switching off the engine and turning to Ruth): _Mine's the top floor flat of

the end house. Not much, but it does. I'm afraid there's only one bedroom, so

you'll be on the sofa. (_she holds up her hand as Ruth attempts to reply)_.

Please, no protestations about putting me to too much trouble, there's no

time for pleasantries. Grab your bags – no, wait a minute. (_Connie takes the _

_mobile phone that Ruth has been cradling in her hands and dials)_ Hello

Malcolm, yes, we're outside the flat now. Please kill the CCTV for five

minutes, there's a dear.

_Connie jumps out of the van together with Ruth. They lift the bags and Connie leads the way along the street and up two flights of stairs. The lounge of her flat is compact and sparsely furnished with antique furniture, Persian rugs and Chinese ceramics. A large abstract painting over the fireplace, which closely resembles a Mark Rothko, is the only note of modernism in the room apart from a plasma screen positioned discreetly on a side wall._

_CONNIE (bustling across to the window and drawing the curtains_): Help yourself to

anything you fancy in the kitchen. I'd better go over to Thames House

before Harry has an apoplectic fit.

_RUTH: _I'll be fine. (_pause)_ When do you think you will tell him? About me, I mean.

_CONNIE (blows breath slowly out from puffed cheeks): _You know, I'm not sure.

This was rather a spur of the moment decision. We haven't actually thrashed

out the details. To be honest, I wasn't at all convinced you would come.

When the opportunity arises, I suppose and ideally when he doesn't have

a loaded pistol in his hand.

_RUTH (as much to herself as to Connie): _It's not too late. I can just catch a train

back, forget the whole thing.

_CONNIE (sharply and forcefully): _Absolutely not. I don't give chauffeured lifts for

nothing – you need to make yourself useful, earn your keep. I'll get Malcolm

to rig you up a link that you can use here and you can get started on the list

of transcripts of calls to the Iranian Embassy, it's only 800 pages long, just a

little light reading to ease you back into harness. As for telling Harry, well

my thought is the earlier the better. He already smells a rat and keeping him

in the dark will only inflame his anger; but this was Ros & Adam's idea, so

its not purely down to my say so. Keep that phone with you, it's clean. I'll

ring as soon as I can. (_Connie moves across to the front door but turns back_

_before she exits)_Don't worry Ruth, you've done the right thing. Believe me.

_RUTH (bitterly): _It was doing the right thing that caused me to abandon my old life;

now it's the right thing that brought me back again. What's the point of it

all?

_CONNIE: Exitus acta probat_

_RUTH (in despair): _Yes, but does it? Has the outcome been worth the deed? I mean

not in respect of my leaving, at the time I couldn't see any other option,

I still don't; but this – coming back, risking everything – for what? Why

now? Harry's managed fine for the last 14 months and I certainly don't

flatter myself that I'm the only Arabic expert available.

_CONNIE: _No, but you're the best and for your information Harry hasn't managed

fine, he's managed, there's a difference and he's not going to be able to

go on managing in the present crisis without help. You're that help Ruth.

The only help this side of Tring that we can think of. So stop beating

yourself up and let us worry about keeping you under the radar. We intend

to have our cake and eat it. You are going to help in the present crisis and

we are going to make sure that you are not discovered. What happens

later, well,we'll cross that bridge when we come to it; at the moment let's

just get over the hurdle of enlightening Harry and living to tell the tale.

_RUTH: _You're right. introspection has always been my Achilles heel. I'll be fine.

You go and placate Harry.

_Connie slams the door shut and hurries down the stairs. The camera follows her as she gets into her car which is parked out side the house and drives off down the road. There is then a switch back to the interior of the flat and we see Ruth pick up the mobile phone and hesitate a few seconds before dialling._

_RUTH: _Hello Malcolm. I need to speak to you. Can you meet me at the Embankment,

the usual place? When? Ok. I'll cross the river and wait for you at the bench.

_Ruth hurriedly gathers her coat and scarf and hastily scribbles a note on a piece of paper which she leaves on the coffee table. We hear the front door close and the camera closes in on the note:_

_Dear Connie._

_I'm still not sure this is all a good idea. I want to talk it through with Malcolm before it's too late. I should be back by 10 pm. If I'm not here, presume that Ruth A. has taken an extended vacation. Thank you for all your efforts. Look after Harry. R_

**_SCENE 10_**

_**The camera pans across the Grid and focuses on the electronic clock on Malcolm's desk that shows 20 56 pm. Harry is seated in his office arguing on the phone. Adam, Ros, Jo and Connie are huddled together around Malcolm's chair as he appears to be showing them some information on his computer screen.**_

_ADAM:_ So we need a plan of action

_ROS (dryly_): What? To save the world or just save Harry Pearce? And please don't

tell me they are one and the same or I'll be forced to puke on the desk.

When I suggested bringing Ruth back I didn't expect it to be equated

with finding the Holy Grail. He just needs to be informed. End of

story.

_ADAM (ignoring Ros_): So Connie. You've known him longer than any of us, even

Malcolm. How should we play this?

_CONNIE:_ You mean, is there a good way to break the news to Harry that we have

risked Ruth's freedom, his position, the integrity of the department and

the status of the operation. In a word, no. Bite the bullet, tell him straight

before he finds out anyway. Light the fuse and stand well back.

_JO_: It's going to be a huge shock.

_ROS_: Well, thank you Sigmund Freud, for your penetrating analysis.

_ADAM (tense & irritated_): That's enough. Connie's right, we need to tell him as

soon as possible. I'll do it. (_Adam looks at the others questioningly_) unless

anyone else has a better suggestion?

_Jo and Malcolm shake their heads with obvious relief, Ros arches her eyebrows in distain and Connie remains impassive_.

_ROS_: Well, I'm glad that's settled. Can we get back to the task in hand, now that the

Senior boy scout had yet again volunteered to shoulder responsibility and

lead the troops over the top?

_Adam nods his assent and the team all move back to their own desks. He squares his shoulders and seeing Harry slam the phone down, goes into his office and shuts the door behind him. The camera remains outside the glass wall and we see the scene played out as a silent mime between the two characters, with the camera moving between a general view of their body gestures to close ups on facial expressions. Harry initially looks up at Adam with an enquiring gaze. Adam moves towards Harry, placing his hands on the desk and leaning towards him, maintaining eye contact. The camera focuses on Harry's face, as we see his reaction to the news. He struggles to maintain his composure as his facial muscles tense, his lips purse and his eyes glaze over momentarily. Recovering from the initial shock he becomes more animated as his temper flares and he starts to shout and gesticulate at Adam. The faint sound of Harry's raised voice is picked up outside on the Grid, but not to the extent of being able to discern whole words. Adam stands back from the onslaught with a protesting expression on his face, which in turn becomes more animated as he argues back._

_Connie, along with the rest of the team, watches the battle of wills for several minutes and then, growing impatient, moves towards Harry's office, followed by the camera and opens the door. Whereupon the sound of Harry's yelling carries across the Grid and shocks the others with the intensity of anger and emotion._

_HARRY (to Connie): _**_GET_ OUT!!**

_CONNIE_: Stop behaving like a bully in the playground.

_HARRY (still shouting_): I knew you weren't in bloody Cheltenham! Do you realise

what you've done? All of you? This department, the whole operation, could

go down the tubes. Who's going to stop the Americans then? Answer me that.

God! I would have credited you with more intelligence that this Connie. What

On earth possessed you?

_ADAM_: It wasn't Connie's idea, Harry.

_HARRY (rounding on Adam with passion_): I bet it wasn't! It sounds the sort of

romantic nonsense dreamed up by idiots. Desperate, muddle-headed,

sleep-deprived idiots.

_CONNIE (trying to placate him, but in her usual bossy, self-assured manner_): It

may be desperate, but it's not muddle-headed. If you'd not been giving such

a good impression of a man on the brink of a breakdown, then maybe they

wouldn't have hatched such a plan. You're as much to blame for this as

anyone. Besides, for better or worse, Ruth is here, in London and I suggest

you stop shouting and start thinking of ways that you can actually utilise

her expertise without compromising the current situation or losing us all

our jobs. Start thinking with your head and not your heart.

_HARRY (advancing threateningly towards Connie and Adam, his eyes blazing with rage and his voice still at full volume):_ I'll shout if I bloody want to! Jesus Christ

Connie, what were you thinking of? We're at full stretch. Besieged on all

sides: the Americans are operating on so many levels, (none of them

friendly) that it's like trying to play poker with an octopus; we've got the

whole Middle East, Al Qaeda tinderbox to deal with and as many

homegrown agendas to contend with as there are politicians in Whitehall and

on top of this you lot,in your infinite wisdom, decide that you're going to risk

Ruth's life and the operational capability of the whole department. For

what? That's what **I** want to know? What in God's name did you think you

were going to achieve?

_Adam opens his mouth to reply, but Connie silences him with a shake of her head_.

_Unperturbed by Harry's ranting, she stares back at him with a disapproving expression and replies in a calm, measured voice.)_

_CONNIE_: As you keep pointing out Harry, we are over-stretched and short-staffed.

Malcolm hasn't been home for two days. We can't keep on like this. We

need Ruth's expertise in Middle Eastern intelligence; we need her

intuition in this operation. You need (here a ghost of a smile flirts on her

lips) someone else to shout at.

_HARRY (calming down marginally, sits on the edge of his desk. His tone of voice_

_changes from anger to heavy sarcasm): _So that's it is it? The great master

plan? We have to bring Ruth back from the dead and embroil us all in the

fall-out because we're unable to find any other Arabic speaking analysts in

the whole of the Security Service? Well, of course, it all makes perfect

sense. I apologise for my crass stupidity. (_Harry's eyes narrow and his voice_

_drops to a more menacing g_rowl) So where is she now?

_ADAM (recognising the warning signs that initial rage has been replaced by a more_

_dangerous, combatant Harry, parries the attack as his face assumes an_

_inscrutable expression_): I don't think it's wise for you to know that Harry.

At the moment you can remain deniable.

_HARRY (snorting in derision & disgust_): Pleeeze, don't quote Americanisms at

me and anyway, deniable about what exactly? If the whole Cotterdam

incident is resurrected I will be implicated up to my neck or has selective

amnesia led you to forget that it was I who officially identified the body

in the morgue?

_ADAM (dismissively_): A straightforward case of mistaken identity. You were in the

midst of a personal crisis, it's easily done.

_HARRY (with warmth_): that's bullshit and you know it.

_CONNIE (raising a disapproving eyebrow at Harry's rare use of an expletive_):

Look boys, I could quite happily stand here and listen to you point

score off each other all evening, but I have a job to do. Adam's right

Harry. The less you are involved the better, at this stage. At least

Until you've had time to cool down and act rationally.

_Harry stares at her with pursed lips and a mutinous expression on his face. Adam takes Harry's silence as a termination of their discussions and leaves the office. Connie lingers behind, her eyes meeting Harry's gaze with steely sympathy_.

_CONNIE (moving towards Harry and patting him on the arm_): Stop fretting.

It will be all right. (_pause as Connie inclines her head near to Harry's and_

_whispers in his ear_): I can see the attraction for you Harry; just make sure

when all this is over that you don't lose her again. To misquote Oscar Wilde

to lose the love of your life once is unfortunate, to lose her twice is sheer

carelessness.

_Harry's face remains impassive. He is still so besieged by conflicting emotions that he remains silent as he drops his gaze to stare unflinchingly at the floor. Connie comes out of his office and encounters Adam, who is waiting for her. They glance knowingly at each other._

_ADAM (sighing in obvious relief_): God, that man can be intimidating. I feel lucky to

have got out of there in one piece.

_CONNIE_: You wouldn't respect him if he was any less redoubtable. (_She moves_

_across to Malcolm's desk, where Jo and Ros are waiting_.) Now, to

business. We have to work out a practical modus operandi, where we can

make full use of Ruth's skills after all this fuss, but with minimum risk

of discovery. Malcolm, can you rig up a direct link with the Grid which

is non-traceable?

_MALCOLM_: Yes, with a little tweeking; but I think we may have a problem.

_CONNIE_: Yes?

_MALCOLM (looking over Connie's shoulder to see if Harry is still at a safe_

_distance and catches their boss watching them through the glass_

_wall with an intense and suspicious expression on his face. He_

_continues nervously_): Ruth rang me. She wants to meet in half an

hour. I think she's still wavering about the whole business.

_ROS_: Oh for God's sake! I've had enough of this. I don't have any more time

to waste on Ms Evershed's finer feelings. I'm going to try and make

contact with the Iranian agent I was running at 6 a couple of years back.

He may have heard something. Let me know whether I can call on Ruth

for help or not. (_Ros picks up her coat and stalks off the Grid_.)

_ADAM_: Ros is right. Well not about Ruth, but we do need to keep focused on

the operation. I have to meet Ana at 9.30. Let me know any developments.

Jo, go back to the stakeout. Connie, you and Malcolm sort out Ruth. I'm

Pretty sure she'll stick with us. She's come this far and she'd walk through

fire to help Harry. Just pile on the pathos Malcolm when you meet her.

_MALCOLM (glancing again in the direction of Harry's office where the blinds have_

_been pulled across_): I don't think that will take much imagination. If ever

her calming influence was needed, it's now.

_CONNIE_: I'll stay here and make a start on another batch of those records whilst I

keep an eye on Harry. You meet Ruth, do your party piece and then get

back here. We're not just playing matchmakers, we've got a job of work

to do.

_MALCOLM (in a quiet, conspiratorial voice_): Fine. I'll take a lap top for Ruth. All

being well, she can start work on the GCHQ records which I've

downloaded onto it. (_Malcolm glances wryly across at Connie_) I believe

you are already in possession of a link to our face recognition files at

your flat?

_CONNIE: (smirking back at him_): At my age you've got to stay ahead of the game

to remain in the running.

_MALCOLM_: Well just don't let Harry catch you with it. He takes a dim view of

even basic equipment going walkabout, never mind highly confidential

files.

_Malcolm nervously retrieves a briefcase that is hidden under his desk and with a quick glance over his shoulder, hurries through the pods._

* * *

_Latin tag used by Connie is by Ovid and means 'the outcome justifies the deed._

**_If you enjoyed these scenes please review. There will be a gap until the next chapters, as I haven't written any more & have a hectic few days ahead - so please be patient!_**


	6. Chapter 6

**_SCENE 11_**

**_Bench by the Embankment with a view across the river to the Houses of Parliament. The darkness is encroached by light from street lamps that cast a yellowish tinge to the footpath. Half of the bench is caught by the lamplight, leaving the rest in darkening shadow. Across the river the illuminated Houses of Parliament are reflected in the water; the lights casting flickering beams across the rippling water. The audience should sense that the air is cold and damp. Ruth sits hunched in one corner of the bench in shadow. We hear footsteps. The camera follows a pair of feet walking briskly along the paved embankment. The footsteps slow as the figure stops behind the bench and a leather briefcase is placed carefully on the ground_**.

_HARRY (in a soft, low voice_): Hello Ruth

_RUTH (her seated figure stiffens as she keeps her gaze focused on her hands that_

_twist a ring round and round her middle finger. Her voice barely more than_

_a whisper_: Hello Harry.

_Ruth forces herself to look up at Harry as he sits down next to her. He takes off his leather gloves and reaches for her hand that is visibly trembling._

_HARRY (fighting to keep his emotions under control_): How are you?

_RUTH (looks away across the river, reining in her feelings to match his apparent_

_composure_): You shouldn't be here. (_pause_) I shouldn't be here.

_HARRY (as the camera catches his hand almost imperceptibly squeeze hers_):

Yes, I may have to rethink the self-initiative training. It was stupid and

dangerous (_pause_) what they did, I mean; but on the other hand (_pause_

_as Harry reaches out his free hand and barely touching, strokes her_

_cheek_) it's good to see you again.

_A ghost of a smile flickers across Ruth's lips as she glances sideways at Harry._

_RUTH_: Congratulations on the knighthood (_pause as the smile broadens_) Sir Harry

_HARRY (shakes his head & snorts in derision_): I don't flatter myself that it's a

personal accolade. I didn't want to accept it, but Connie pointed out that

it was for the benefit of the department.

_RUTH (in a slightly acerbic tone_): Oh yes, Connie. A very (_heartbeat pause)_

formidable replacement

_HARRY (responds instantly at the same time as inching closer towards Ruth on_

_the bench): _Never a replacement Ruth, only a substitution.

_Harry reaches out, draws her head towards him and kisses her slowly and sensuously on the lips. Ruth's eyes close as she responds briefly before pulling away_.

_RUTH (breathless_): What was that for?

_HARRY (camera closeup on his face to reveal eyes_ _expressive of love and desire_):

For something wonderful that should have been said.

_RUTH (blushing_): You remember?

_HARRY (smiling_): Of course.

_RUTH (hesitantly_): I wasn't sure. I mean (_pause_) after all this time (_pause_)

what you might still be feeling …..(_voice trails off, as she is obviously_

_embarrassed that she has presumed too much even by those few words_)

_HARRY_: Whereas I, of course, had an almost daily record of your thoughts and

feelings.

_RUTH (blushes, even more clearly embarrassed_): Oh God, the postcards. I'm sorry

Harry. It was emotional blackmail. I shouldn't have done it. I just felt so

alone. It's probably the most embarrassing thing I have ever done (_painful_

_pause_) well almost.

_HARRY (amused by her discomfort_): Don't apologise Ruth, it was inspired.

Besides, I now have the most literate terrier in London: a certain

I.C.Scarlett. I admit she found some of the codes and cryptic

quotations a challenge, but I think she solved them all in the end.

(_in an increasingly teasing tone of voice_) The newsagent, on the

other hand, is convinced I'm part of a drug dealing syndicate, with

coded messages coming in from all over the world.

_RUTH ( both flustered & amused_): Well I didn't want to send them directly

to your house for obvious reasons. So it was either there or the

sandwich stand by the Embankment.

_HARRY (smiling broadly_): So I'm such a transparent creature of habit am I?

_RUTH (softly_): Only to those who know you well; but yes, definitely poor

Tradecraft.

_HARRY (releasing hold of Ruth and bending down to retrieve the briefcase_

_at his feet_): Talking of which, Malcolm insisted I bring you a laptop.

He wants you to sort through the GCHQ records he's loaded onto it.

_(Harry looks at Ruth enquiringly_) How much did Connie tell you?

_RUTH:_ Enough to know that you have your backs against the wall at the

moment. The Iranians are trying to secure nuclear triggers and the

CIA are playing so many games, even they can't keep count.

_HARRY (grimacing_): Hmm. Yes, more than enough. So much for the Official

Secrets Act. (_his mood changing as the mask of professional authority_

_supplants his previous levity) _I really did not want you dragged into all

this Ruth (_Harry's voice becomes increasingly dogmatic and agitated_)

It's too risky. I can't guarantee I can protect you. I tried and failed

to do that once before.

_RUTH (holds out her hand for the laptop and replies calmly_): I don't want

protection Harry. I told Connie I didn't want to come because it puts

you at risk; but I'm here now and I want to help.

_HARRY (angry, but at the situation rather than at Ruth_): Then go back to Welbeck

Abbey.

_RUTH (refusing to rise to the bait and lose her temper_): Do you mean that?

_HARRY (in a low, cracked voice_): It's the right thing to do. I can't risk the whole

operation (_pause_) just because ……….

_RUTH (softly and squeezing his arm_): Just because what? Just because it's putting

your own needs first? You're not thinking straight. This isn't a conflict of

interests. You need help with this mess and I've got the expertise needed.

We'll be careful, really careful and once it's over (_pause as Ruth gazes away_

_from Harry and across the river_) I can disappear back into the bowels of

Welbeck Abbey and no one will be any the wiser. Now hand over that

briefcase and let me do what used to be my job.

_Harry puts the briefcase back on the ground and draws Ruth into another, more passionate kiss. The camera draws slowly away from closeup into a distance shot of the two embracing figures in semi darkness and then sweeps across to a view of the night time skyline of London._

_**SCENE 12**_

_**Exterior view of Thames House showing the time of 10.30pm fades into a view of Harry striding down the main corridor. The next shot is of him entering through the pods onto the Grid**_.

_HARRY (in a barking tone_): Connie, Malcolm. My Office. Now!

_Harry flings open the door to his office and throwing his coat on the sofa, sits down heavily in his chair. Connie and Malcolm file in and shut the door_.

_CONNIE (throwing her eyes upwards in mock annoyance as she meets Harry's_

_scowling expression_): I always love it when you're masterful Harry,

but I have work to do, so can we make this short.

_HARRY (in a quiet menacing voice):_ Fine by me. You went up to Welbeck Abbey

without my authorisation and brought Ruth away from the safety of her

cover which has functioned admirably thanks to Malcolm's ingenuity

(_Harry nods an acknowledgement at Malcolm, who replies with a tight,_

_embarrassed smile)._ Not content with that, you fill her in on all details

of the current operation. Unless it has escaped your notice, Ruth is no

longer part of the Security Services ………..

_MALCOLM (interrupting with an apologetic gesture_): Well actually, technically ….

_HARRY (impatiently_): Shut up Malcolm! (_continues to Connie_) Have you never

heard of the Official Secrets Act?

_CONNIE (dryly_): Have you never heard of gratitude? I take it from your blustering

(_here she reaches over and brushes the corner of Harry's mouth with_

_her thumb)_ and the traces of lipstick, that you managed to find Ruth?

_Harry hesitates, momentarily embarrassed, whilst Connie watches him with an amused expression and Malcolm keeps his gaze firmly on the ground. Harry recovers his composure and assumes a clipped, professional tone._

_HARRY_: I'm not going to be sidetracked Connie. What you did was stupid and rash.

I thought you are always the one who advocates discretion?

_CONNIE (losing patience_): Look Harry. None of us has time to play cat and mouse.

Ruth gave up her career, her whole way of life to save you. I took a

calculated risk that that loyalty would still be there and that she would be

equally willing to take a risk to help us out. Yes, there is a real danger that

she will be discovered but the stakes are too high in the present crisis not

to call in every trump card that we can play. If it all goes belly up then you

can have me shot at dawn, in the meantime stop playing 'he who must be

obeyed' and let's concentrate on the task in hand.

_HARRY (sighs and switches his gaze to Malcolm_): I take it the face recognition

system that walked out of here under Connie's skirt is still operational?

_MALCOLM (looks panic-stricken and glances across at Connie, who merely arches_

_Her eyebrows and shrugs her shoulders): _Well … I …. Urm ….

_CONNIE (exasperated, interrupts the dithering Malcolm_): Yes of course it is.

_HARRY (glaring at her but with a hint of amusement in his voice_): Good. Hopefully

Ruth hasn't lost the ability to multi task in the stygian gloom of Welbeck

Abbey. Send her the Embassy telephone transcripts as well as the GCHQ

Records. We need to find some tangible leads as soon as possible.

Connie, presuming that there is still some functioning equipment left on

the Grid; I want you to hack into 6's monitoring records for Teheran.

Malcolm, you tackle the CIA files from Portman Square. Someone,

somewhere, knows what is really happening and I'm not prepared to play

patsy in the dark any longer. (_pause_) and yes, Malcolm. I want you to

monitor all MI5, Special Branch and Met surveillance in the area of

Parliament Square. The slightest hint anywhere that anything has been

flagged up that might jeopardise Ruth, I want to hear about it. Understand?

_CONNIE (dryly_): In that case, I suggest that you start by staying away from the

flat yourself. _(pause as she turns to go before turning back as_ _an_

_after thought with a twinkle in her eye and a mischievous smirk playing_

_on her lips) _Unless, of course, you want to start rumours that we're

having an affair. Personally, I've got my reputation to think about.

At my time of life I need to be seen out with someone with fewer

miles under their bonnet.

_Harry, with an exasperated sigh, appears to ignore Connie's last remarks. He shuffles the papers on his desk impatiently, but he has difficulty concealing the amused smile that is tugging at the corners of his mouth. Connie sails out with a look of triumph, following after the bolting Malcolm. When they have returned to their desks Harry brings out a white linen handkerchief from his trouser pocket and wipes his mouth carefully. Glancing down at the streaks of pale red left on the material, he smiles to himself, puts the handkerchief away and opens a file that is on the top of the pile in front of him; whistling softly to himself as he does so_.


	7. Chapter 7

**_SCENE 13_**

**_CONNIE'S FLAT_**

_**Ruth is seated at a large wooden desk situated in a corner of the bedroom. Her gaze is focused on a succession of faces flickering on the screen in front of her. The remainder of the bedroom is finished in a French country style with white distressed furniture and faded toile de jouy chintz. A large old Venetian mirror dominates the wall opposite the elaborate antique white iron bed and the sidewalls of the bedroom are painted with trompe d'oeil scenes of landscapes**_.

_RUTH (lifting a mobile phone to her ear_): Malcolm, there are some interesting

discrepancies in the movements of Harry's friend Bob Hogan.

_MALCOLM (split screen view of him talking on his office phone_): Harry will be

pleased. He's very partial to discrepancies , especially where our CIA

friends are concerned. What have you found?

_RUTH_: There are several phone conversations logged by GCHQ between

Hogan and a man he refers to as John Doe.

_MALCOLM_: Very droll, do you think he realises the significance of his alias?

_RUTH_: I don't know. He's definitely not American. The sound quality on the

recording isn't great, but I'd lay money on him being English. In fact

typical Home Counties. Anyway, could you do some checking for

me Malcolm?

_MALCOLM_: Why him in particular?

_RUTH:_ I don't know. Call it female intuition; unless that is, extended exposure to

the MOD has heightened my sense of paranoia. There was nothing in

their conversation that was incriminating; in fact it was too inconsequential,

too bland to be true. As if they were conversing in a code. At one point

the man refers to Hogan as Roosevelt and they both laugh, but why? I've

been wracking my brain to think of what context would make an allusion

to Roosevelt relevant to Hogan: The New Deal? Wheelchairs? Bossy wives?

The War? I just don't know what they are communicating and as Harry

always says, odd is interesting.

_MALCOLM_: ok, fine. I'll check it out. I'll voice check the recording and see if our

files throw anything up. What date was the conversation?

_RUTH_: um, wait a minute. (_slight pause as we see her checking her notes_) ah yes,

the 26th September. It's on page 2644 of the GCHQ transcript for that day –

obviously a popular date for telephone conversations.

_MALCOLM_: I'm on to it. Let me know anything else that flags up. If we don't make a

breakthrough soon, I think Harry is going to spontaneously combust.

_RUTH (laughing_): Well hide behind Connie, I'm sure she'll protect you from Harry.

_MALCOLM (smiles_): Yes, I think she gives as good as she gets, but she doesn't

suffer fools gladly; so she's just as likely to be a foe as a friend if I don't

deliver.

_RUTH (soothingly_): Well don't worry Malcolm. You always do. Deliver, I mean.

The department would be lost without you and they know it.

_MALCOLM (Clearly embarrassed, clears his throat_): Thanks. Well I'd better get

on with this and justify your faith. Is there anything you need?

_RUTH_: Is it possible to patch through a link to the CCTV records? I'd like to see

If I can trace Hogan's movements that day.

_MALCOLM_: Hmm. I'll see what I can do, but Harry's already read me the riot act

that your safety is our first priority.

_RUTH (assertively_): Well he's wrong. It's national security that is the priority. So see

what you can do. Meanwhile, I'll keep ploughing through these transcripts.

_MALCOLM_: Ok. Bye.

**_SCENE 14: THE GRID_**

**_Malcolm is tapping furiously on his keyboard and then checking an adjacent screen. He is too absorbed in his work to notice a figure looming up behind him._**

_HARRY (his voice quiet and dangerous_): What are you doing?

_MALCOLM (flustered and hesitant_): Ur.. em.. Just, um, just sorting out a link.

_HARRY (leaning closer over Malcolm's shoulder and checking the screen_): What

link, precisely?

_MALCOM (pale and faint-voiced_): a … a link for…. CCTV.

_HARRY (loosing patience and with a more authoritative voice_): Yes, I can see that,

but why? Unless my Luddite tendencies are confusing me again, I seem to

remember that we already have streamed access to CCTV records; that in

fact we have had access since 1998.

_MALCOLM_: Well yes we do, but (_pause, as we can see his desperate attempt to cover_

_up what he is doing from his sharp-eyed boss without actually lying_): um, it's

so that we can have multiple access.

_HARRY (voice quieter and more menacing_): Do you mean that we can have or that

Ruth can have, multiple access?

_MALCOLM (smiling up weakly at Harry_): I did tell her you were concerned about

security.

_HARRY_: I wasn't issuing a departmental guideline Malcolm, it was a specific

instruction, not open for negotiation. What part of ' do not under any

circumstances' did you not understand? If anyone outside of these four

walls gets so much as a sniff of Ruth being alive and well and living in

W1, we will be flooded with Special Branch and the operation will

grind to a halt at a time when we need to have maximum efficiency

and room for manoeuvre. This in not a personal issue, it's a matter of

national security.

_MALCOLM (interrupting Harry, with a wry smile_): well actually, Ruth used

exactly that phrase when she demanded I establish the link.

_HARRY (too anxious to see the irony of the situation replies emphatically_):

No extra links to Ruth. No going behind my back again. Is that clearly

understood?

_MALCOLM (nodding meekly_): Yes Harry.

_Harry frowns suspiciously at him and retreats into his office_.

_CONNIE (raising her eyebrows at Malcolm from across her desk,_ _with a tight smile_):

Look on the bright side Malcolm, he left your testicles in place. You might not

be so lucky next time.

_MALCOLM_: He's right, of course; but then so is Ruth. She can't do an effective job if

she can't have access to the databases.

_CONNIE_: How secure is the link you were setting up?

_MALCOLM_: well, pretty secure; but then everything always leaves some trail. It's

impossible to say that it's a hundred per cent undetectable.

_CONNIE_: Well Ruth needs access to the databases and Harry wants a hundred per

cent security. There's only one solution.

_MALCOLM (puzzled_): What?

_CONNIE_: Bring her onto the Grid.

_MALCOLM (in hushed, horrified tone_): Have you gone completely insane? Harry

wouldn't just castrate me if he found out, he'd chop my head off for good

measure.

_CONNIE (briskly_): Well, you'd better make sure that he doesn't find out then,

hadn't you.

_MALCOLM_: How do you suggest that we get Ruth here undetected; keep her hidden

from all personnel and from Harry and then get her out again?

_CONNIE (dryly_): You're meant to be a spook Malcolm. Use your initiative.

_MALCOLM_: My initiative is at a low ebb at the moment. I think it's safer to leave

Ruth where she is and I'll search the records instead.

_CONNIE (losing patience_): Oh for goodness sake Malcolm audentes fortuna juvat.

It's not just about looking through footage, it's about how it's interpreted.

Ruth's strength, as I understand it, lies in making connections between

disparate and obtuse occurances. It's not something that can be

substituted. You have many talents Malcolm, but lateral thinking is not one

of them. Leave it with me. I'll get her here. That way, if anything goes

wrong, you'll still have your manhood in tact.

_MALCOLM (doubtfully_): I still think it's too risky.

_CONNIE (firmly_): Yes well, that's what makes you, you and me, me. Now your task

is to make sure that Harry doesn't know I've left the building.

_MALCOLM_: How long will you be?

_CONNIE:_ I don't know. About 40 minutes, I suppose. Just make sure that your

Gadget room has all the necessary links for Ruth and that you're ready to

keep Harry occupied when I ring you.

_MALCOLM (sighing_): I hope this works.

_CONNIE (sarcastically_): Well, surprisingly Malcolm, so do I. I've no more liking for

Madame La Guillotine than you.

_**SCENE 15 EXTERIOR OF THAMES HOUSE**_

**_A securicor van draws up at the back entrance of Thames House. Two guards jump down, open the rear of the vehicle and carry in two metal strongboxes. Five minutes later they re-emerge and drive off. The camera follows the van as it drives down towards the Embankment and pulls up. It closes up on the two occupants in the front cabin of the van as they take off their helmets. One is Connie and the other is Ros_**.

_ROS_: Why is it always me who gets roped into switching places with Ruth?

_CONNIE_: Well it's either because you're soul sisters or because you're the closest in

height. Recruit some more personnel under 5' 5" if you're fed up with the job.

_(pause, as she wriggles out of the uniform_) Right, I'd better get back to

Thames House. I need to get Ruth out of that store before someone goes in

there.

_ROS (starting up the engine_): Well good luck. There isn't much that escapes Harry's

notice. You'll need to be quick.

_CONNIE:_ Don't worry about me. I've had practically a lifetime's practice of pulling

the wool over Harry's eyes. It's just a question of making the slight of hand

fast enough that the trick is not detected (_gestures with her hands as if lifting_

_imaginary cups_) now you see her, now you don't.

_ROS_: I'll bear that in mind when I watch you being taken out for ritual

disembowelling.

_CONNIE (with a mock scowl of annoyance_): I take it you'll be in the front row?

Meantime, just leave the van round the back of the Brompton Oratory,

keys under the front wheel. I've a contact who will deal with it from there.

_ROS_: Fine. I'll see you later.

_**SCENE 16 : THE GRID**_

**_Malcolm's phone rings and he jumps in nervous anticipation. A split screen shows juxtaposed head shots of Connie and Malcolm_**.

_MALCOLM_: Hello?

_CONNIE:_ We're in the building, in stationary supplies. I need you to cut the links to the corridor and Grid surveillance cameras for two minutes and open the connecting door to the records office. Where's Harry?

_MALCOLM_: He's been called over to the JIC.

_CONNIE_: Excellent. It seems my bowel may have a chance of staying intact after all.

_MALCOLM (shot of him pulls away to show him tapping codes into his computer_):

Ok Connie, it's done but you'll have to be quick. They can only be down for

two minutes before the alarms are sounded and the whole building

shutdown.

_CONNIE_: Don't worry, we'll be faster than time's winged chariot.

_Split screen fades to a camera shot of Connie and Ruth slipping quickly through a glass door that leads into the corridor adjacent to the main Grid and from there into Malcolm's gadget room. The next shot is a closeup of Malcolm's computer screen which shows a slight flicker as the surveillance cameras are switched on again. The phone rings and Malcolm lifts the receiver._

_MALCOLM_: Hello? Yes. No, there isn't a problem, just a gremlin in the works. Yes,

I know we've been asking for that upgrade for years. Just have to carry

on with make do and mend, I'm afraid. Ok, fine, Bye. (_As he puts down_

_the phone he rolls his eyes upwards and sighs_) " It is not nor it cannot

come to good."

_**THE GADGET ROOM**_

_CONNIE (sliding the door closed with a sigh of relief_): I'm getting too old for

these antics.

_RUTH (breathless, smiles across at her_): Come off it Connie. It's more fun than

guarding (_pause_) or for that matter, working in, disused bunkers.

_CONNIE (nodding her agreement_): Yes; although there is perhaps less difference

between this institutionalised bunker and our former locations, than we

would care to admit. (_in a brisk tone_) Anyway, I'll need to lock you in

here if we're going to have any chance of keeping your presence a

secret in this place. Ring Malcolm or I if you need anything. Fortunately

(_gesturing over to a second door_) Malcolm had his own lav put in about

six months ago, so he could really lock himself away from the rest of the

world and not be disturbed.

_RUTH:_ I'm surprised Harry authorised that.

_CONNIE_: He didn't. Malcolm paid for it out of his own money.

_RUTH (sitting down at the desk and turning on the screen_): Right. I'd better get

started. After all this effort I hope I find something.

_CONNIE (grimly_): Well for all our sakes, so do I. Ring Malcolm on the mobile if you

need additional links to external sources. (_glances at her watch_) It's already

nearly midnight. I suspect this might turn into an all-night session. Is that ok

with you?

_RUTH (nodding emphatically_): Of course. No problem. There's a huge amount of

data that should be put through the system here rather than tinkering with

links in your flat and we can't keep smuggling me in and out of here. I'll

stay put as long as I can and try and get through as much as possible.

Besides (_slight smile)_ it's just like old times; I often used to work

through the night.

_CONNIE (nods and smiles approvingly_): Good girl. (_the camera follows her through_

_the door and we hear the click of a lock turning.)_

_**SCENE 17: THE GRID**_

**_An outside shot of Thames House is superimposed with the time of 12.25am. A black Lexus draws up outside the main entrance and we see Harry emerge and bound up the steps and through into the interior of the building. The next shot is of __Harry coming through the Pods, walking across the Grid and halting at Connie's desk_.**

_HARRY (wearily and with biting sarcasm_): The Home Secretary has been having high

level discussions with Washington. Apparently we've got the wrong end of

the stick. The Americans are totally on our side in this crisis and we should

be standing shoulder to shoulder with them to defend Western democracy.

I've been given due warning, co operate fully with Hogan and his cronies

or he'll put someone in charge of Section D who is less (_pause_), now how

did he phrase it, oh yes, less partisan.

_Connie arches her eyebrows in questioning disbelief and Harry frowns and shakes his head in response_.

_HARRY_: Yes, I know. I thought he was an intelligent man as well. I think this whole

business is clouding his judgement. He's so desperate for a solution to the

Iran crisis that he's happy to stick his head in the sand so thoughtfully

provided by the Americans; but of course that doesn't help us. I've

been warned to back off from any surveillance of the CIA and share all

current data with our friends in Grosvenor Square.

_CONNIE_: And what do you actually intend to do?

_HARRY_: Carry on as before, but with more circumspection. It's just time-wasting and

bloody Hogan knows it. Why do you think the Home Secretary received

his VIP phone call from the White House? It was just a PR exercise to

pander to his ever inflating ego. The Americans have no intention of letting

us know what their actual agenda is, nor do they have any concern for the

consequences of their bone-headed policies on their so-called closest ally.

Hogan is determined to promote American interests whatever the

fallout in the UK and he's managed to get the Home Secretary onside to

help him. Bloody politicians. They shouldn't be allowed to meddle in

matters of national security.

_CONNIE (soothingly_): Well. I think you'll find that the Home Secretary does

have some rights in that area.

_HARRY (snorting in disgust_): Well, so much the worse for all of us. (_voice changes_

_tone as he brings himself back to immediate concerns_) Now then. Where

are Adam and the others?

_CONNIE_: Adam's still softening up Ana.

_HARRY (snorts again_): Well, that's one euphemism for it. Adam seems to be taking

His duty just a little too seriously in that area. Keep an eye on him Connie. I

had enough of this nonsense with Tom Quinn. The last thing we need right

now is a diplomatic incident with the Iranians. What about the others?

_CONNIE_: Well, as you can see Malcolm and I are still ploughing through the data.

Even with Ruth's help, it's going to take most of the night, if not longer.

Ros is meant to be following up on a lead from her old contact from 6,

but I haven't been able to contact her for the last hour and Jo is

liasing with Customs and Excise to see if we can tighten up on security

to monitor all Iranian citizens or any passengers with terrorist links

leaving or entering the country, without flagging up what we are doing.

_HARRY (gloomily_): Needles and haystacks. It's a waste of time. (_purses his lips as_

_he becomes more energised_) Right. I want everyone back on the Grid

by 2.00 am. We have to rethink our strategy. We may only have hours

before the Iranians try to smuggle triggers out of the country.

_CONNIE_: If they've got any in the first place, of course.

_HARRY (grimly_): Oh, they've got them alright, or at least they know a man who has.

Hogan is demanding a lock down on all international flights leaving UK

airports as of 9 am. He knows something beyond rumour.

_CONNIE (incredulous_): You surely don't think he's given the Iranians nuclear

triggers?

_HARRY_: Well, I wouldn't put it past him, but no. He wouldn't be making such a song

and dance about a lock down to the Home Secretary if he was. My guess

is that he's been involved in some double bluff with the Iranians that has

blown up in his face; but he's not about to tell us what or how, so we need

to re think our game plan and we only have eight hours to do so. Stock up

on the coffee supplies. No one sleeps tonight.

* * *

_The latin quotation is from Virgil's Aenead and means 'Fortune favours the daring'._

_The Shakespeare quotation of Malcolm's is from Hamlet._


	8. Chapter 8

_**STATE OF EMERGENCY**_

_**CHAPTER 8**_

**_Apologies for the long delay in posting this next chapter, but Christmas was very hectic. I'm still frantically trying to catch up and certainly won't be writing any more until next week but in the meantime I thought you might like an update. In writing this chapter I realised how much I missed Ruth's input during the whole Iran crisis of Series 7. Connie is a treasured addition but she lacks Ruth's passion and lateral thinking – another reason for Kudos to FLAN to our demands for Ruth's return!_**

**_SCENE 18: Meeting Room, The Grid. _**

_The time 2.50 am flashes on the screen as a steadycam shot moves around the table revealing the assembled team of Harry, Ros, Connie, Malcolm, Adam and Jo discussing the operation. Malcolm's phone bleeps. He glances nervously across at Harry, who is apparently engaged in studying a folder in front of him, but whose eyes flick across at Malcolm as he quickly opens his phone and reads the text_.

_MALCOLM__(hurriedly and a little distracted): _Er, one moment before we start. I

just need to double check I've terminated the link into the CIA files.

(_Malcolm scurries out of the room)_

_HARRY (looks across with a piercing glance at Connie and says in an quiet, even voice): _Where is he going?

_CONNIE (crossly): _I may be on the cusp of senility, but unless I'm hallucinating

He's just told you.

(_Harry pushes his chair back and stands up. Connie reaches out a restraining hand on his arm.)_

CONNIE (_in a low urgent voice_): Leave it Harry.

_(Harry shrugs off her hand impatiently and moves swiftly and quietly out of the room)_

_JO (confused_): What's going on?

_ADAM (grimly_): You're about to find out.

(_The camera switches to Malcolm unlocking his gadget room door, opening it cautiously and peering in)_

_MALCOLM (sotto voce):_ What is it?

_HARRY (materialising behind Malcolm's shoulder and pushing open the door_):

It's the bloody limit, that's what it is!

_(He moves into the room and stands above the desk, looking down on the guilt-stricken face of Ruth. Silence hangs in the air, as they remain frozen in their respective poses. Harry is the first to break the impasse_.)

_HARRY (imperiously & loudly): _WELL? I'm waiting for an explanation.

_RUTH (imploring eyes look up at him): _Harry. Please don't make a big fuss. It's

just more practical.

_HARRY (losing his temper and shouting): _Well it won't be more practical when

we're in adjacent prison cells at Bow Street.

_RUTH (indignant_): That's blackmail.

_HARRY (in a more moderate tone of voice but still cross):_ No, it's pragmatism.

How did you get in here? It's meant to be impenetrable for God's sake.

_MALCOLM (uncomfortable, but trying to defend Ruth from Harry's onslaught):_

Well.. erm..(_wry smile)_ it wasn't easy.

HARRY _(sarcastically_): Well I'm hugely relieved to hear that. I'll ask again. How

did you get in here?

_(The camera focuses on Harry's angry, concerned face as we hear a voice coming from behind him_)

_CONNIE (dryly with slightly drawled and more than usually refined vowel sounds, obviously intended to irritate Harry):_

"Blow, blow, thou winter wind,

Thou art not so unkind

As man's ingratitude."

It was I, Harry. I smuggled Ruth onto the Grid. Your fortress is

Not an invincible as you like to think. Now stop behaving like a

Drama queen. We've got work to do.

_HARRY (turning round to address Connie_): Well of course, I should have

guessed.

_CONNIE (tartly_): Yes, you should have done, after all these years. Right; so

now you've found the fugitive in the priest hole, I suggest we stop

playing games and bring Ruth into the meeting and get down to doing

what we're paid for.

_HARRY (Pauses and purses his lips as he decides what response he is going to_

_make before he sighs heavily as a gesture of capitulation_): Alright; but

you're playing a very high risk game. As soon as this meeting is over I

want Ruth out of this building; no more conniving, no more subterfuge –

do I make myself perfectly clear? (_He moves towards the door, maintaining_

_eye contact with Connie with a baleful stare_)

_CONNIE (with lips twitching in amusement & in mock obedience_): Perfectly. As always.

(_She turns to Malcolm and addresses him in her business -like, no nonsense tone of voice_): Malcolm, can you make sure the Grid surveillance cameras are switched off in the meeting room for the next hour. I don't know, routine Maintenance check or something?

_MALCOLM (looks despondent_): I'll try; although all these irregular activities with The CCTV is going to trigger a major review of security and Harry won't like that, especially if it comes out of our budget.

_CONNIE (soothingly_): Well we'll cross that bridge as and when we come to it. In

the meantime, let's get on with the meeting.

**SCENE 19: Meeting Room**

(**_Malcolm hurries to his desk, taps on the keys for a few seconds, watches the screen and then waves to Connie and Ruth to come out of the gadget room. They cross over to the Meeting Room, where Harry has drawn up an additional chair next to his.)_**

_JO (eyes opening like a startled bush baby_): Oh my God!! Ruth!!

_RUTH (smiling warmly at Jo_) Hi. (_Embarrassed pause as she becomes aware that_

_she is the centre of attention in the room_) I .. I er … love the new haircut.

_JO (stroking her shorn head_): Thanks. It's a bit radical, but very practical.

_HARRY (impatiently_): I hate to interrupt ladies; but can we possibly get down to the

business in hand?

_RUTH & JO (in unison_): Sorry Harry.

_HARRY (addressing Ruth_): Right. Well after the excitement of the last five minutes

perhaps you can explain what it is you've found that is worth risking

imprisonment for.

_RUTH (looks round the assembled team and is obviously emotional at being back in her old familiar surroundings. She fights to keep her voice under control_):

Well, it might be something or nothing; but I think it's significant, or rather there are several things that stand out. I've been going through the calls logged by GCHQ that were made from Grosvenor Square in the last week.

_HARRY (frowning slightly with concentration_): I thought the CIA comprehensively

block all attempts at surveillance?

_RUTH (with a ghost of a smile playing on her lips_): Well, so do they, but it's not as

effective as they assume.

(_This draws a smile from Harry and a softening of the expression in his eyes as he gazes at her reveals that he is likewise affected by the circumstances of once again having Ruth back in a meeting; as if the last 14 months had never happened_.)

_RUTH_: Anyway, there were three calls made by Bob Hogan to a man he refers to as 'John'. The conversations are very bland. Pointless in fact.

_HARRY_: So why should we be interested in them?

_RUTH (warming to her subject, her voice becoming enthusiastic and persuasive_):Precisely because they are so inconsequential. Hogan is at the centre of CIA operations at a crucial time. He isn't going to squander his efforts on small talk with an unknown individual. They were coded conversations – they had to be. It's the only way to make sense of them.

_HARRY (looking thoughtful_): So. Any idea what they are referring to?

_RUTH_: Well. Without identifying the recipient of the calls, not really; but I did pick up on one or two references which struck me as odd. AT one point the man compared Hogan to Roosevelt, which seemed a strange analogy and then in another conversation Hogan said (Ruth glances down at her notes) "don't presume I'm going to be interested in peace negotiations just because I'm American."

_HARRY (Losing patience_): And? What's so significant about that?

_ROS (looking pale and intense cuts across Ruth's reply_): Well if that's the extent of the so-called significant coded information can we please move on? I've got to meet my contact in under an hour.

_CONNIE (ignoring Ros and focusing on a flustered Ruth_): Yalta.

_RUTH (smiles in gratitude at Connie_): Exactly.

_HARRY_: Can you please stop talking in riddles; it's giving me an inferiority complex.

_CONNIE (replying to Harry in her schoolmistress tone_): Yalta – the connection between Roosevelt and peace negotiations.

_HARRY (tartly_): Yes. Thank you Connie. I know I didn't go to Roedean, but I did manage to make that connection myself. My point is, what is the significance of Yalta? A peace conference dating back to the Second World War – what bearing does it have on the present crisis? The Americans certainly don't want to sit down round a conference table at the moment with the British and the Russians or with anyone else for that matter.

_RUTH (triumphantly_): Precisely. So why mention it in the first place? It's not a straightforward analogy to the current crisis. It's got to mean something, we just don't know what at the moment.

_HARRY_: So it's what? A reference to secret negotiations between Iran and the US that we're not aware of?

_RUTH (more tentative_): Well possibly or it could just be a code name for something. We're not likely to find any answers unless we can identify 'John'.

_ADAM_: Anyone have any suggestions?

(_The camera pans across the faces of the remainder of the team. Most look blank. The last face is Ros's, which remains pale and impassive with just a hint of a frown_.)

_HARRY (decisively, as he reasserts the momentum and objectives of the meeting_): Ok. Well, Connie, you and Malcolm see if you can cross-match the voice on the recordings and identify him. Meanwhile Ruth, is there anything else to report?

_RUTH_: Yes. In the transcripts of the calls logged from the Iranian Embassy, Bakhshi made several calls on his private phone to a number in South Kensington that is registered in the name of a certain Alisha Cohn.

_ADAM (suddenly more alert and interested_): Bakhshi? Ringing a woman with a Jewish name – what for?

_RUTH_: Well, the more interesting question is who rather than why. Alisha Cohn is the wife of the American Attaché at the consulate in Teheran.

_HARRY (Quizzical_): Cohn? I thought the name of the US Attaché is Huston, Oliver Huston?

_RUTH_: Yes it is, but Cohn is her maiden name and she still has a house in London registered in the name of Cohn, where she stays when she comes over here.

_ADAM_: So why is Bakhshi ringing the American Attaché's wife in London?

_JO (slightly tongue-in-cheek_): Maybe his wife isn't the only one playing away from home?

_ADAM (Crossly, giving Jo a dirty look_): Don't be stupid. Bakhshi would never risk such a liaison. If it came to light his life would be at risk, never mind his career. No. It has to be something to do with making contact with the Americans. But why do it in such a convoluted manner? Why not approach the American Government directly? They might not be willing to give anything away, but both sides want to be seen to have tried negotiations, so why the secrecy? He's got to be after something that cannot be officially acknowledged by either side.

_HARRY_: God help us. That sounds like a prescription for Armageddon if anything does. Ruth, keep checking the transcripts in case there are any more calls that might shed light on what he's after. Adam, you arrange a meeting with Ana and see if she knows what's going on. I have a bad feeling about this. We're thrashing around in the dark and at this rate we're not going to be in a strong position when the lights are switched on again. So. Ruth has come up with several areas of investigation, but no answers. What about the rest of you?

_ADAM_: Ana says there is an important meeting happening tomorrow morning at the Embassy, in which her husband is going to meet with a trade delegation. I don't buy it. Bakhshi is involved up to his neck in the negotiations for nuclear triggers; he doesn't have time to mess around with exporters discussing the cost of pistachios and the state of the hand-knotted rug market. We need to hear what's really going on in that meeting. I've given her some surveillance equipment to use to transmit the discussions directly to us.

_HARRY (frowning_): That's very high risk for both Ana and us. If Bakhshi finds he's being spied on there will be a major diplomatic incident and any hope of using him to find the triggers will be blown. Also, how can you be sure we can trust her? Especially since she's discovered that you were using her?

_ADAM (firmly_): We can.

_HARRY_: Well I wish I shared your confidence. If they are playing us and feed us false information, we could be sent off on a wild goose chase and we'll lose all possible chance of establishing what they are really up to and who's involved.

_ADAM (insistent_): I trust her.

_ROS_: They say love is blind, they forget to mention deaf and stupid as well. The point is, can we trust you? I mean, you're hardly thinking rationally at the moment are you?

_ADAM (angry and defensive_): Of course you can trust me. Don't be ridiculous. I'm not compromised by my relationship with Ana, I'm just doing my job.

_(Harry raises his eyebrows as he glances across at Ruth to indicate the extent to which he feels Adam is indeed compromised by the liaison with Ana.)_

_HARRY (addresses the whole team): We_ have to get a firmer grip on this situation. If we allow the Iranians and our American cousins to carry on their war games on British soil; not only are we going to be sucked into another debacle in the Middle East, we also may find them escalating conflict on our own doorstep. We only narrowly averted a major catastrophe with the virus – next time we may not be so lucky. All of you have to concentrate one hundred and ten per cent on the task in hand. Do I make myself clearly understood?

_Muttered response of agreement from the team_

Right, fine. Now Connie, you have ten minutes to get Ruth safely out of this building and back to your flat and please _(in a firm voice_) no more undercover escapades.

_RUTH (protesting_): But Harry, I'm needed …..

_HARRY (Holding up his hand to silence her_): No buts Ruth. This is non-negotiable.

(_The others get up from their chairs. Harry watches them leave the room and then reaches out and takes Ruth's hand. He lifts it to his lips and kisses her softly on her_ _knuckles.)_

_HARRY (softly, in his most sibilant tone_): I need to know you're safe Ruth. I've spent fourteen months worrying about where you are and what you're doing – I don't want to keep on doing it. I can't afford to be distracted in this present situation. I need to remain focused if I've got any chance of keeping it under control. Do you understand?

_RUTH (in a whisper_): Yes, Harry, I understand; but you can't do it alone. I'm much more use to you here on the Grid than stuck at the end of a link in connie's flat.

_HARRY (getting up from his chair and leaning down to kiss her on the cheek_): you're much more useful to me safe and secure away from here. Now get going before I lose the will to send you away.

(_He smiles at her and walks out of the door. Ruth's eyes linger on the empty doorway, as if willing him to come back_.)

**_SCENE _**


	9. Chapter 9

**State of Emergency**

_**Chapter 9**_

**_Scene 20: The Grid: Corridor_**

_**Connie catches up with Malcolm who is heading for the gadget room.**_

_CONNIE: _Be discreet. Ruth's still in there.

_MALCOLM (eyes widening in alarm as he glances at his watch): _I thought you promised Harry to get her out of here as soon as the meeting finished?

_CONNIE: _I will, I will. It's just that she really needs to go over those Hogan tapes one more time and as Harry's gone over to Whitehall to update the Home Secretary, his ten minutes can be stretched a little.

_MALCOLM: _Well, you'd better make sure she's out of the building by the time he comes back. There's only so much insubordination that he'll take, even from you Connie.

_CONNIE(soothing): _Don't worry Malcolm. We'll be two specks on the horizon by the time Sir Harry's size 9's are back on the Grid.

**__**

**_Scene 21: A narrow, sordid back street in Soho_**.

_**The street is littered with the detritus of restaurant rubbish and discarded leaflets extolling the doubtful pleasures of assorted exotic bars and massage parlours. We can just make out the shadowy figure of Sholto meeting with Ros from a bird's eye view that then sweeps into closeup as they talk in subdued tones.**_

_ROS: _I can't keep slipping away like this. I'm going to be noticed. What do you want?

_SHOLTO: _Well, apart from the pleasure of your company, we need information. It appears that Adam Carter had become a loose cannon; a little too involved with his contact at the Iranian Embassy for anyone's good and least of all ours.

_ROS (bitterly): _Well that's what comes of letting your heart rule your head. So what is it that's so urgent that you've dragged me out at this time of night and aroused suspicions unnecessarily, I thought you would be happy that Section D is not handling the situation well?

_(Sholto's eyes narrow as he gazes at Ros with a look of paternalistic concern.)_

_SHOLTO: _Yes, but allowing triggers to be smuggled to Iran is not the same thing as causing the whole operation to implode. If Harry Pearce will not or cannot keep Adam Carter under control then you'll have to do it.

_ROS (coldly and sarcastically): _What do expect me to do – kill him?

_SHOLTO (in quiet measured tones):_ If necessary. Your job is to make sure that he doesn't do anything more to threaten our objectives. The Iranians are expecting to receive those triggers and you have to ensure that they arrive safely. Do not underestimate Harry Pearce either. He will try everything to locate them and stop the deal going through. We cannot allow him to do that. You must watch his every move and report back if you think he is getting too close.

_ROS (incredulous and increasingly angry): _This is getting out of control. I still can't believe that you are prepared to arm Iran with nuclear weapons, just to keep the US out of the Middle East. It's an extremely dangerous game to play or have you forgotten Afghanistan? The Americans' disastrously short-sighted policy of arming the Taliban to fight the Soviets, only to have the same weapons turned on them twenty years later – does it ring any bells for you? Or are you too far immersed in the whole game to notice that history is repeating itself? Only remember, this won't be a few scud missiles, this will be full-blown tactical nuclear warheads. Are you willing to take the risk?

_SHOLTO (dryly but unperturbed):_ Thank you for the impromptu history lesson Ros; but what do you think is going to happen if the American Government is not persuaded to step back from the brink? Do you honestly think that Pakistan is the only Muslim state in the Middle East to already have nuclear capability? That particular ship of international containment sailed long ago. At least arming the Iranians will make the Americans more reluctant to go charging in there with guns blazing.

_ROS: _We live in perilous times, but meddling will probably only make a bad situation worse.

_SHOLTO (snorts):_ That smacks of one of Harry Pearce's aphorisms. You've been with him for too long Ros. Anyway I haven't called you here to discuss world politics. Harry will try to prevent these triggers leaving the country by all means in his power. You have to stop him.

_ROS: _And how do you expect me to do that exactly without blowing my cover?

_SHOLTO: _Initiative and the knowledge that if you are not prepared to help then you are no further use to us, which will leave you in a very exposed position.

_ROS (angry): _Are you threatening me?

_SHOLTO: _No, just making you aware of your options.

_ROS(bitterly): _It doesn't seem as if I have any.

_SHOLTO: _Good, I knew you would see sense. (_as Ros turns to leave)_ Don't forget we will be watching you, don't do anything stupid.

**__**

**_Scene 22 The Gadget Room, the Grid_**

_**Ruth is dressed in Connie's clothes and is seen adjusting a short grey wig. From a distance she has a passing resemblance to Connie with her large blue eyes and rounded face**_.

_CONNIE (standing back and appraising her handiwork): _Mmm. Maybe Harry does have a 'type' after all. We wouldn't pass for identical twins and there is the age and size difference, but I think it will do for a casual observer. The surveillance team are mostly focused on people coming in rather than leaving and Adam will create a diversion.

_RUTH: _How will you get out if I have your security pass?

_CONNIE (breezily): _Oh, don't worry, it's just a duplicate. I got Malcolm to run me up half a dozen soon after I came back; I'm always mislaying them and it's such a pain to go through official channels. Harry's even worse – he's convinced I'm going to turn into another Tessa and start swindling the Section, he watches my every move. Bloody cheek. Lumping me together with that money-grubbing devious little harlot.

_RUTH (giggles): _You should be flattered Connie, that he credits you with having the charm and intelligence to pull it off. She had him totally fooled; it was only her misreading of Zoe Reynolds that brought the whole scam to light. She could feasibly have continued running her bogus agents indefinitely.

_CONNIE (snorts in disgust): _Well she was very good at manipulating men, I'll give her that; but then, that doesn't really take a great deal of skill does it? A flash of cleavage and leg and a generous massaging of their egos and they all roll over like puppy dogs. Anyway, don't get me started on the fallibility of the so-called stronger sex; we need to get you out of here.

_The camera follows Adam and Ruth down the main corridor at Thames House. They are chatting casually until just before they reach the security guard, when Jo appears running down the stairs shouting_.

_JO (in high-pitched, agitated voice): _How dare you, you bastard! You promised not to tell anyone about the other night. It was a one off. You're a complete prick.

(_Jo smacks Adam hard across the face) _A real arse hole. (_Looks around at the gathering crowd of amused colleagues and the grinning security guards) _And, for general information, I don't sleep around and (_pause, as she glances back at Adam)_ I would just like everyone to know that Mr Carter here couldn't keep it up for longer than three minutes, if his life depended on it; so don't be fooled by the goods on display in the shop window, it's all show and no substance. (_Jo looks at Adam with a glance of triumph before her coup de gras)_ So not just a bastard but a prematurely ejaculating bastard.

_Jo flounces off up the stairs; Ruth having slipped unobserved through the doors and out into the darkness of the London streets, whilst Adam, having maintained a suitably horrified and embarrassed expression during Jo's outburst, shrugs his shoulders at his colleagues and walks back towards the Grid. His phone rings and we hear Jo's excited_, _bubbly voice_.

_JO: _How was I?

_ADAM: _An oscar-winning performance. Thanks to you my name is now mud throughout the Service and probably through most of inner London. If I never get a date again I will know whom to blame.

_JO: _Glad to be of service. I'll see you later.

__

_**Scene 23: The Embankment**_

_**Having walked a safe distance from Thames House, Ruth removes the restrictive wig and shakes free her hair before resuming her journey. The streets are almost deserted at 3.am, apart from the still regular passage of buses and taxis, but Ruth has been observed by a tall slender figure waiting in the shadows opposite to Thames House**_.

_FEMALE: _Well, well. Ruth Evershed. Who would have thought it?You are living dangerously Harry. (_A hand reaches into a pocket, draws out a mobile and speed dials)_ Hello, yes. I think I've just found the tasty sprat that will catch our mackerel. I'll explain later. First I need to go fishing.

_The phone is put back and the mystery hand of the still unidentified female reaches into a handbag and draws out a small metal case that is opened to reveal a hypodermic needle and two glass vials._

**_Scene 24: A darkened room_**

_In** the low light we can just discern an inert figure in a bed. The camera moves to the bedside table that has an LED alarm clock that reads 05.30 placed nearest to the sleeping occupant of the bed. We hear a bleeper going off and a red light flashes. A hand reaches out for the phone which lies next to the alarm clock and then fumbles with the light switch on the wall behind the bed. The lights come on to reveal a bleary-eyed Harry reading the identity of the caller before pressing the speed dial on his phone.**_

_HARRY (his voice deep and still slightly hoarse from sleep): _What the hell's so urgent it won't keep Connie? It's 5.30 in the morning.

_The camera focuses in close up on the two participants in the conversation in a split screen, side-by-side. Connie's face is pale and nervous; she is still dressed in day clothes_.

_CONNIE: _It's Ruth. She's not here. In fact, I'm certain she never made it back to the flat. I stayed on at Thames House with Malcolm to try and voice match the man called John. We've only just finished. I didn't phone Ruth, I just assumed she was sleeping.

_Harry leaps out of bed, revealing a white T shirt and boxers as his sleeping attire. His face is stricken and anxious._

_HARRY (urgent and insistent): _Get back to Thames House immediately. Red flash the rest of the team and go through all the CCTV we have from the area.

_CONNIE (still looking worried but trying to stay calm): _Are you sure that's not premature Harry? She could just have gone for a nostalgic stroll round London and be in some greasy spoon café as we speak.

_HARRY (his voice low and controlled but his face revealing his true feelings): _Ruth had the bit between her teeth with this operation. There is no way she would do anything so frivolous. She's been taken, there's no question about that. The only unknowns are by whom and for what reason.

**__**

**_Scene 25: The Grid_**

**_Harry arrives on the Grid, having obviously dressed in a hurry. His tie is clutched in his hand, his hair is more ruffled than usual and his face bears the faint shadow of unshaved stubble. Connie steps into his path, anxious apologetic_**.

_CONNIE_: I'm sorry Harry. I should have escorted her home. I should have been …..

_HARRY _(_cuts across Connie with a dismissive gesture of his hand_): An escort or the lack of it is not the issue now. Somebody was watching this building; somebody who presumably recognised Ruth; we have to identify who that somebody is and what they want.

_ADAM (standing behind Jo's table, supporting his weight on the back of her chair_): It's unlikely to be someone connected to Cotterdam – no one from that time knows that Ruth was here and it's too much of a coincidence that they would be passing at that particular moment and anyway, why kidnap her? All they had to do was follow her and establish where she was staying and then inform Special Branch. It has to be someone involved in some capacity with this present operation who was watching Thames House.

_JO (turning huge tear-filled eyes in Harry's direction_): What will they do to her?

_HARRY (clenches his jaw to keep control of his emotions as he struggles to assume his usual mask of calm reason_): That depends on who they are and what they want.

_ADAM (increasingly agitated and gesticulating forcefully_): It just doesn't make sense. If it's someone connected to Bakhshi or Hogan, why would they know who Ruth is and even if somehow they do know, why would they think they could use her – a random desk operative no longer even part of Section D?

_At that moment the pods open and a pale and slightly flustered Ros hurries into the room_.

_ROS:_ Hi. Sorry I'm late; I couldn't get the alarm to set on my flat.

_Harry gestures to her to join the huddled group distributed around Jo and Malcolm's_ _desks._

_HARRY (to Ros_): We're trying to establish a logical reason for someone to be in a position to both recognise Ruth and have a pressing reason to take her. Any suggestions?

(_There is something in the ambivalence of Harry's tone and his piercing glance that makes Ros appear fractionally more nervous than usual_)

_ROS (clearing her throat and lightly shrugging her shoulders_): Well, if it's one of our current suspects, Ruth would be an easy target but still an odd choice. I mean she can be lifted without difficulty (_Harry inwardly flinches but the only outward sign is a slight tightening_ _of his facial_ _expression as he chews his lower lip_) but why not take Adam or Malcolm or myself if they wanted to weaken the team?

_JO_: But surely they – whoever 'they' are –don't know the identity of all the members of Section D?

_HARRY (in quiet measured tones_): Someone, somehow, does know precisely that. In fact they seem to have been able to predict what we are going to do before we do it with unfailing accuracy.

_ADAM (animated_): You mean there is a mole?

_HARRY (choosing his words with care_): Well possibly; although maybe not in the classic sense of someone planted some time ago, with the intention of feeding back information. They could be (_heartbeat_ _pause as his voice becomes icy_) more opportunistic traitors, acting on spur of the moment impulses. Either way, it still doesn't explain why Ruth would be a target.

_The camera catches an exchange of glances between Connie and Adam, which suggests that they have reached a similar conclusion as to why Ruth was a relevant target_.

_HARRY (continues_): Anyway, this is all idle speculation until we discover when and where she disappeared. Malcolm, you and Connie check through the CCTV. I'll be in my office. Adam, a word please.

_Harry goes through into his office, flings his tie on the desk and pours two glasses of whiskey, one of which he holds out to Adam and gestures to him to sit down_.

_HARRY (sitting in his chair and fixing Adam with a penetrating_ _stare_): Two questions Adam. How many people are aware of my feelings for Ruth Evershed? and who amongst our team is most likely to be a mole?

_ADAM (momentarily raises his eyebrows in surprise at the directness of Harry's questions_): Well, the answer to both is that I don't know for certain. I take it from your first question that you're thinking the same as I: taking Ruth suggests a means of getting at you personally.

_HARRY_: Well, without sounding like an egomaniac, yes. It would seem to be the most obvious way of making sense of it.

_ADAM(in a careful and quiet voice_): You were always extremely cautious and self controlled, so whilst the chemistry between you was always apparent to the team I would say it was not widely observed and certainly one meal at San Lorenzo could hardly have merited much attention. That is of course until the whole Cotterdam debacle. I mean, come on Harry, glassing Oliver Mace and then trying to shoulder the blame for the whole conspiracy just to save Ruth, the jungle drums on both sides of the river went into meltdown. So perhaps we should be asking not so much who knows as who knows and wants to use it against you. As to a traitor in our midst? Experience has led me to both implicitly trust and automatically suspect everyone I work with.

_HARRY (with a ghost of a smile_): Spoken like a true spook, but not very useful in the present situation. It's not just Ruth; during this whole business of Iran, the triggers, Hogan, the bomb in Tehran, Zaf's kidnapping, the whole sorry mess; all the way along I've had the feeling that we're being played and being played by someone who has insider knowledge.

_ADAM_: But that's throwing a very wide net Harry. I mean it doesn't necessarily have to be someone within Section D ….

_Both men lapse into their own thoughts and continue to sip their respective drinks in silence when suddenly Malcolm burst through the door_.

_MALCOLM (excited and agitated_): Quick, we're found something.

_Adam and Harry leap out of their chairs and follow Malcolm, who hurries back to his desk and leans down to his keyboard. The other members of the team crowd behind him. The camera switches to the grainy images of CCTV footage which are explained by Malcolm's narrative description of what they reveal_.

_MALCOLM_: As you can see, Ruth left Thames House at 3.45 am. (_Harry frowns across at Connie who has the grace to look embarrassed)_ We see her cross the road and walk along the Embankment. We pick her up again further down the Embankment at 3.55.

_HARRY (muttering to himself under his breath_): Why the hell didn't you take a cab at that time in the morning?

_MALCOLM (answering Harry's rhetorical question before continuing with his narrative_): Well there aren't too many around at that time of the morning and it's only about a twenty-five minute walk to Connie's flat from here. Anyway a cab did appear – here – you see?

_The flickering image shows a black cab slowing down next to Ruth and the door opening. Ruth's figure seen from above and at a distance appears to hesitate for a minute before climbing into the cab, which then drives off._

_HARRY (very softly_): Ruth didn't hail the cab; she wouldn't even have seen it coming. So why did it stop?

_JO (in a high-pitched voice_): She must have known the person in the cab. Someone opened the door and spoke to her and then she got in. Ruth wouldn't have done that, would she, unless she knew them or they were holding a gun? I mean there's no sign of a struggle, she doesn't run away. She just gets into the cab.

_CONNIE_: Friend or foe?

_HARRY (grimly_): Most likely both. Malcolm, how far can we trace the cab?

_MALCOLM_: Well there is intermittent CCTV coverage of the cab as far as Twickenham, but then it disappears. It could have gone in any direction from there – into Surrey, West along the M4 corridor – anywhere. (_his voice becomes increasingly despondent_)

_ADAM_: What about the identity of the numberplate?

_MALCOLM (shrugging his shoulders and looking defeated_): False, as you would expect. No identifying features I'm afraid and no indication of who was inside the cab,even when I enhance the footage. No clues at all that can help.

_HARRY (sighs and assumes his authoritative voice_): Right, there's nothing more we can do about Ruth. Our best chance of finding her is to track down Copenhagen and the nuclear triggers.

_JO (protesting_): But we don't know that's why Ruth has been taken.

_HARRY (curtly as he represses his feelings_): No, but they are our current priority and there is also a good chance that Ruth is caught up in all of this is some way. At least that's the only concrete lead we've got and also our number one priority remains Iran and preventing the triggers from reaching Teheran. We cannot allow personal feelings to cloud our judgement. Now carry on with the tasks you've been assigned.

_Harry goes back into his office and shuts the door. He slumps down into his chair, closes his eyes and covers his face with his hands._

_ADAM (leaning over Connie's desk and murmuring into her_ _ear_): Do you think he will cave into blackmail if Ruth's life is at stake?

_CONNIE (grimly, without taking her eyes off the screen in front of her_): No; but if Ruth dies it will finish him. I'm sure of that.

_The camera slowly pans back to the inert figure of Harry and the ima_ge _freezes._

* * *

**_Please leave feedback and let me know if you like the way this fic is developing._**


	10. Chapter 10

**_State of Emergency _**

**_Chapter 10_**

**_Apologies for the long delay in posting up this next chapter. The muse deserted me for a while but fortunately I managed to track her down and interrogated her until she agreed to cooperate!_**

* * *

**_Scene 26_**

**_The camera follows the red backlights of a black taxicab as it slows to a stop in a lay-by on a deserted country road. Seconds later a large black car draws up alongside. The driver (middle-aged tall, thick-set male) gets out, opens the door of the cab and lifts out the inert slumped figure of an unconscious Ruth and transfers her into the backseat of the black car. Juliet Shaw, emerging swiftly from the cab, gets into the second car next to Ruth and solicitously tucks a curtain of hair behind the ear of the immobile face resting against the window.. The passenger in the front seat turns round. It is Sholto_**.

_SHOLTO: _Who the hell is that?

_JULIET (smiles coldly across at him): _This is the little goose that's going to lay

the golden eggs for us. This, believe it or not, is the key to Harry Pearce's

heart.

_SHOLTO: _Well, for all our sakes, I hope you're right. Everything rides on keeping

Pearce and his cohorts out of our business. Aren't you being a little naïve

to think that Pearce will risk the whole operation to save this woman?

_JULIET (softly): _He won't risk the operation, but he will risk himself. He's done it

before and he won't hesitate to do it again. Ruth Evershed is his Achilles'

heel. All we have to do is bait the trap and he'll come running and without

Harry Pearce at the helm and distracted by Ros's expert mis-information, the

team will flounder.

_SHOLTO: _If she's that valuable, we'd better make sure that she doesn't come

to any harm – (_pause. Sholto smiles unpleasantly) _well, for the moment at

least. I don't think we should be too hasty to play our hand. We'll keep our

trump card in reserve until the time is right.

JULIET (_turns to Ruth and continues to stroke her hair as she chuckles softly to_

_herself_): Slumber on Sleeping Beauty; it won't be long before you're

middle-aged Prince arrives to wake you.

**_Scene 27: The Grid_**

_**Corridor: Adam meets Ros. She smiles at him but her eyes are furtive.**_

_ADAM: _I don't like the way things are developing. We brought Ruth back from exile

to help with the Iran crisis and all we have achieved is to put her life in

danger, compromised the operation and further added to Harry's problems.

ROS (_in detached voice): _You can't blame yourself for Ruth's kidnapping. You

couldn't have predicted she would be a target.

_ADAM (in troubled, self-pitying tone): _It's my job to make such predictions Ros.

Harry was right. We allowed our hearts to rule our heads and that is lethal

in this line of work.

_ROS (bitterly): _Well, you seem to be making a habit of it at the moment. Don't

let Ana drag you further down the same road. (_stares directly into Adam's _

_eyes) _She's in love with you Adam, that makes her unstable and unreliable.

_ADAM (angry): _Are you telling me how to do my job?

_ROS(coldly):_ No. I'm advising you how not to do it – unless of course, you want

to further add to the Section's body count.

_ADAM: _Don't be so melodramatic.

ROS (_goes to retaliate with a wisecrack reply, but then obviously thinks better of it_

_And merely shrugs her shoulders and turns away.) _I don't have time to play

word games with you Adam. Harry's asked me to try all my sources again to

see if I can dig out any more rumours about nuclear blue prints being available

for sale in the UK.

_ADAM (coldly): _Well don't let me keep you.

_**Scene 28: Harry's Office**_

_**The camera approaches Harry from the rear, so we do not see his face. It goes into close-up on his desk and we see his hand holding a Mont Blanc fountain pen as he adds to a hand-written list that lies in front of him:**_

**RUTH :Initial Questions**

Was she taken opportunistically or was her identity revealed to an interested party by someone who had been following her/us?

Those within the Service/Government Departments who would recognise Ruth and

wish to derail the Iran peace deal or promote Iranian nuclear capability.

Attack MI5/SectionD/Me personally.?

**Conclusion from initial questions**

Most likely that Ruth was seized by chance. No surveillance was detected by Connie or picked up by TH security. However the mode and execution of the kidnap suggests professionals – either Security Services or mercenaries, terrorists etc

Who would benefit from her kidnap?

Interested parties in the current Iran situation – who wants to derail the peace deal or wishes to promote the nuclear capability of Iran? –

Iranian rogue elements/extremists?

Hawks in the Us administration?

British Government officials? – officially we are brokering the Iranian peace deal but who knows what agendas are being played out behind the scenes.

Those wishing to attack me personally – A VERY LONG LIST!!

But a strong possibility. If I include all those who would either like to take revenge on me or would like to take my job then I will be here all night.

So who would have the motive and also be able to identify Ruth or know someone who could?

The Iranians? very unlikely they would know about ex desk staff of MI5 (or at least I hope they are not so well informed or we are in serious trouble).

The Americans? Definitely but I'm not sure that they would have been aware of any 'special' link between Ruth & I, although bloody Bob Hogan is brighter than a CIA officer has a right to be!

UK Security Services/Government? Most likely possibility.

**Primary Suspects from within UK S.Services or Whitehall who have axe to grind and who would be able to identify Ruth **

OLIVER MACE? – Would be the obvious candidate, but he's still sunning himself in the Caymans, working for that shady Hedge Fund Consortium.

JASON BELLING? – Malicious little viper. A possibility, but in that case what is his agenda?

OTHER CANDIDATES?

The central question remains –

Who could identify Ruth who also knows that we had a 'special relationship???????

_**Harry continues to write repeated question marks with growing impatience. He covers his mouth with his hand and taps his fingers on the side of his cheek, as he tries to focus his mind. There is a knock at the door.**_

_HARRY (shouting angrily as his chain of thought is interrupted): _What!

_MALCOLM (popping his head round the door with an apologetic smile): _Sorry

Harry, there's something on the Thames House footage which might suggest

someone was actually watching the building when Ruth came out.

_HARRY (bounding out of his chair): _Who?

_MALCOLM (gesturing for Harry to follow him): _Well, it's not clear enough to

make a positive identification.

(_Malcolm and Harry move swiftly across to Malcolm's desk, where there is a frozen image on the screen in which we can just discern the shape of a figure lurking in the shadows about 50 yards from the entrance to Thames House.)_

_HARRY (staring intently at the grainy photo):_ Can you further enhance this image?

_MALCOLM: _I'm afraid not. That's the best I can do, I'm sorry. I mean, there might still be an innocent explanation. It could just be a passer-by having a fag or waiting for someone but I thought you should take a look – just in case.

_HARRY (pursing his lips in frustration):_ Thanks Malcolm. I don't want to appear to

be clutching at straws, but it would seem to be too much of a coincidence for

there to be someone loitering opposite to Thames House at that time of the

morning and then Ruth be kidnapped round the corner, without there being

a connection. It would appear to give further credence to the theory that

whoever has taken Ruth was watching this building, for whatever reason.

_Harry turns to go back into his office._

_MALCOLM: _Er, one more thing Harry. I can't get a clearer image of the face of the

person in the CCTV, but I can tell you that they are about 5' 10" in height

and probably dark-haired.

_HARRY: _Show this to the others. It might just jog a memory of someone they may

have observed in the area in the last few days.

_JO (in urgent voice): _Harry.

_HARRY (turns round expectantly): _Yes?

_JO: _There's some urgent Intel come in from 6. One of their agents in Switzerland was

monitoring calls made by an ex-KGB officer called Valentino. Two days ago

Valentino placed a call to his wife in which he said that he had secured the deal

over the nuclear documents and would be couriering them to the UK. She is to

wait on standby for his confirmation that the transaction has been successful and

be ready to leave at short notice, because he will have to disappear quickly. 6 say

that Valentino has booked a ticket to fly out of Geneva tomorrow

morning, but with the current threat of industrial action at Heathrow we can't be

certain where the flight will land.

_HARRY (alert and authoritative): _If this source is reliable and the call is, as you have

obviously presumed, referring to the plans for nuclear triggers that Bakhshi and

his associates are after; then can you explain what an ex KGB agent is doing

mixed up in illegal arms trading with Iran?

_JO: _Well according to our records Valentino is not KGB (_quickly corrects herself as_

_Harry glares at her) _or rather FSI, anymore. He left the Soviet Union under a

cloud, just as it was breaking up and since then he's been actively working

against Russian interests. He even went as far as helping to arm the Chechnians.

_HARRY (grimly): _He obviously doesn't want to live to cash in his pension plan.

_JO: _Well actually, brokering the triggers might just be his pension plan. He's not

so much pursuing a vendetta against his ex colleagues, as making himself

available to the highest bidder. He's certainly not fussy about who hires

him and if the money's on the table he won't care about the consequences.

_HARRY (focused and thoughtful): _So we have a Russian maverick arriving here in

_(checks his watch)_ a matter of hours; possibly carrying the technological

information that will enable the Iranians to produce nuclear warheads.

_CONNIE: _This could be the flare that ignites the whole tinderbox.

_HARRY (resolute with his most Churchillian face):_ Well not on my watch.

Jo, Connie – find out which airport he's flying into.

Ros, Adam – I want you there when he arrives and don't let him

out of your sight.

_MALCOLM: _Why don't we just get him detained by the airport police?

_ADAM: _Because we have to find the other links in the chain. Who's paying

him and who is he meant to be meeting.

_MALCOLM: _But couldn't we find that out from Valentino if we arrest him?

I mean, suppose we lose track of him?

_HARRY: _I agree it's a high risk strategy but he may well not know the

identity of those involved. In fact, as a courier, it's almost

certain he doesn't. Our only hope of establishing who is

responsible and stopping them from trying again, is to play

a waiting game.

_JO (hesitantly): _How do you think Ruth's kidnapping fits in with all this?

_HARRY (frowning): _I don't know. There may well be no direct link; but

what is certain is that at the moment we have to focus one hundred

per cent on locating those blueprints and stopping them from falling

into the clutches of the Iranian authorities.

_CONNIE: _Should we be letting the Americans know about this development?

_HARRY (looking pugnacious): _I think not. Let's keep the reins in our own hands

on this one.

_CONNIE (undeterred): _Well that policy didn't exactly pan out well over Kashani

did it? If I recall Bob Hogan called us meddling idiots.

_HARRY (irritated): _All the more reason to keep them on the outside of the circle.

Especially as at this moment in time we don't know quite how our

transatlantic cousins are involved in this particular web of intrigue.

Until such time as that becomes clearer, I don't want us showing our hand.

_CONNIE (dryly): _To take your analogy a little further: who else is likely to be

sitting down at the poker table on this one? The Iranians, The KGB?

_HARRY(frowns): _You mean the FSI.

_CONNIE (defensive): _Same wild beast.

_HARRY: _Different circus. (_pause, as he shrugs his shoulders in answer to Connie's_

_question) _Who knows.

_CONNIE: _There are too many unknowables this time around. I preferred the

certainties of the cold war.

_HARRY: _'Things past redress are now with me past care'.

_Adam and Ros exchange glances over Harry's head._

_ADAM: _Right. We'd love to stop and chat about old times, but we need to get

ready. Jo , ring us both when you have the information on Valentino's

arrival. Ros, go home and try to get a few hours sleep and a change of

clothes. I'll see you at whichever airport our man is flying into.

_Ros shoots a suspicious glance across at him as he indicates that they will only meet up at the airport but Adam avoids her eyes and hurries off the Grid._

_HARRY: _Adam 's right. Check the arrival information and then you all stand down

and get a few hours rest.

_Harry turns back towards his office._

_CONNIE ( calling after Harry): _So do you intend to take your own advice?

_HARRY (without turning round): _Yes. I've just got some unfinished paperwork to

go through.

_Harry goes back into his office, shuts the door and picking up the list he had been compiling earlier; he sits back in his chair reading through it with a look of focused determination etched across his exhausted features._

_HARRY (murmuring to himself as he taps a pen against his lips): _The answer's got to

be in here somewhere. I'm just too bloody dense to see it.

_**The camera draws back to observe the movements of the remaining occupants on the Grid as they close down the screens of their workstations and pull on their coats. Soon only one light is still left burning in the gloom and the image of Harry still at his desk is frozen.**_

* * *

**_Harry's quotation comes from Richard II, Act II, Scene III._**


	11. Chapter 11

**STATE OF EMERGENCY**

_**Chapter 11**_

**_SCENE 29_**

**_External view of Thames House (with the time of 7.30 am marked up) cuts to the camera passing through an empty Grid, down a corridor and into a lighted bathroom. We see a dark suit neatly hanging on a wall next to a shower cubicle with a shirt and tie still encased in a dry cleaning bag. The room is partly obscured with steam and we hear a shower being run. Suddenly a mobile phone rings and we hear a voice from inside the shower_**.

_HARRY (with exasperation): _Shit! Is there no bloody peace in this godforsaken place?

_We hear the shower stop. The glass door opens and a wet, dripping Harry emerges naked from the shower and grabs his phone, which is resting on a shelf above the washbasin. The camera moves to split screen shots of the two characters in conversation_.

_HARRY_ (_impatiently_): Yes!

_JASON BELLING (in a suave, mocking tone_): Ah. Mr … sorry, Sir Harry Pearce. Not

a bad time to call I hope?

_HARRY (cold and terse_): No. What do you want? I take it this is not a social call.

_BELLING_: Mmm. An interesting topic your social skills or rather the lack of them.

You really ought to make more effort at rapprochement with your sister

Services and in particular government offices like mine. Behaving like a

boorish throwback to the time of the Cold War isn't going to win you

friends and influence people in today's caring, sharing environment.

_HARRY_: I don't have time to swap meaningless platitudes with you Belling. What do

you want?

_BELLING (unperturbed_): A bit snappy this morning aren't we? You're not feeling

under any personal pressure by any chance?

_HARRY (his eyes narrow as his voice becomes icy_): No. Is there any reason I should

be?

_BELLING (with a sneer to his tone_): Well, you tell me. I can do sympathy. I know we

got off to a bad start with that unfortunate misunderstanding involving

Oliver Mace…..

_HARRY (interrupts, incredulous_):'unfortunate misunderstanding'? You conspired

with Mace to subvert the integrity of the whole British legal system; you

put my agents' lives in danger; not to mention the small matter of having

several innocent men murdered and being more than happy to see me rot

indefinitely at her Majesty's Pleasure.

_BELLING (blithely_): All water under the bridge Harry and it's not why I'm calling.

_HARRY (seething_): Only friends and close colleagues call me by my first name

Belling and you certainly do not fall in either category. Now,

for the third time of asking, why are you ringing me out of the

blue at 7.30 in the morning?

_BELLING (obviously peeved at the rebuff and turning nasty_): The Home Secretary

is concerned that you're not on top of this whole Iran business. We only

avoided the catastrophe of a nationwide epidemic by the narrowest of

margins and now there seem to be multiple foreign agents running round

the UK with impunity, trying to flog nuclear secrets to any one with a

big enough piggy bank. You really don't seem to have your eye on the

ball on this one (_heartbeat pause and then with heightened insolence_)

Harry. He feels perhaps it's time you brought in fresh blood.

_HARRY (snorts derisively_): Oh, like you , you mean? On a scale of 1 to 10 for reliability and

loyalty to UK interests, you score marginally below Darius Bakhshi. So thanks, but no thanks.

The Home Secretary has my number. If he has any anxieties as to my handling of this crisis, I

suggest he contacts me directly. I don't deal with messenger boys. Goodbye.

_Harry puts down his mobile and reaches for a towel from a stack positioned on a rack in an alcove next to the washbasin_.

_HARRY (muttering to himself as he wraps the towel around his waist and fishes out an electric _

_shaver and Eau Sauvage cologne from his washbag_): If that little

bastard is involved in any way with Ruth's kidnapping I'm going to finish him.

_As he mentions Ruth's name Harry's eyes soften to express both love and anxiety. The camera positioned behind his shoulder focuses in closeup on his reflection in the mirror, before he drops his gaze and continues to get ready to face the day: brushing down the damp grey-blond curls which stubbornly refuse to lie flat and swiftly applying deodorant and cologne to his body before removing the crisp white Turnbull & Asser shirt from its protective cover and expertly manoeuvres heavy gold cufflinks through the double cuffs at his wrist. The camera switches to a general view of the Grid which is now a hub of activity as the staff enter through the pods and settle themselves by their work stations. _

_JO (sitting on the edge of Connie's desk): _Where's Harry? It's not like him to be late.

_CONNIE (disapprovingly): _The security man on the front desk informed me that Harry stayed all

night on the Grid. The men's bathroom has been continuously occupied for the last half an hour

– it's most likely Harry's in there trying to make himself human again; so I wouldn't worry, he hasn't been

abducted by aliens, more's the pity.

_JO (groans): _Oh God no. He won't have slept. He's going to be like a bear with a

sore head all day.

_CONNIE (nods in agreement): _Oh definitely. (_adds with a teasing lilt to her voice)_

I hope your rabies jabs are up to date?

_JO (smiling in spite of herself): _It's not funny Connie. This is a serious situation. We

need Harry calm and collected, not exhausted and irrational.

_CONNIE (insistent_): Harry doesn't do 'irrational' Jo. Dogmatic, bad-tempered,

arrogant and overbearing yes, but never irrational.

_HARRY (coming up silently behind them_): I know I can always count on you for a

character reference Connie.

_CONNIE (in disapproving, WI leader voice_): Yes well, I speak as I find. You're

never at your best on too little sleep.

_HARRY (looking at her with an amused expression before he walks towards his_

_office):_ Are any of us Connie?

_CONNIE(calling after him, determined to get the last word_): Stop pretending to

be reasonable on two hours rest Harry. I know you better than that.

_Harry retreats into his office chuckling before he assumes his serious professional expression as he sits down at the desk and faces another day of treachery_ _and Armageddon_.

**_SCENE 30: A Soho Alleyway _**

_**Ros and Sholto glance up and down the street to check they are not being observed or overheard before they begin their discussion**_.

_ROS (tensely and with the strain of anxiety clearly showing on her face): _We've lost

someone.

_SHOLTO (inscrutable): _Ah yes, Valentino – that is who you are referring to?

_ROS (after a fractional hesitation): _Of course. He just vanished from under our noses.

Do you know anything about his whereabouts?

_SHOLTO: _Naturally; but it's a quid pro quo situation Rosalind. That's how all

successful relationships work. I give you something and you give me

something in return.

_ROS (bitterly): _That's not a relationship, it's reciprocity. What's

your price this time?

_SHOLTO (with a vulpine smile): _We have shared goals, remember. This isn't a case

of crude trade-offs; but there is something we want you to do.

(_Sholto holds out tiny transmitters that lie improbably fragile in the broad palm of his hand_.)

We need you to place these on the Grid.

_ROS (looking dismayed_): Don't be ridiculous, they'll never get past Malcolm's

security.

_SHOLTO (looking and sounding calmly confident_): Oh yes they will. We need to

have eyes and ears on the Grid at all times if US aggression is to be stopped.

Valentino is half a mile from here at TG 667 412. Now get on with it.

_Ros continues to hesitate_.

_SHOLTO (impatient_): Well?

_ROS_: I have to know. How far are you prepared to go to control this situation – to

control Harry Pearce?

_SHOLTO (sighs_): Women. They've always got to reduce things down to the

emotional. I would have thought better of you Ros. (_his voice becomes cold_

_and threatening_) We will do whatever is necessary to achieve our objectives.

Does that answer your question?

_ROS ( with a miserable, guilt-ridden face_): Yes. Perfectly. (_pause as she looks_

_straight at Sholto_) Don't think for one minute that you can act with impunity.

I'm helping because I believe we have to avoid another conflagration in the

Middle East; it doesn't mean I'm prepared to give you carte blanche to destroy

my colleagues.

_SHOLTO (in a hard, ruthless voice_):I've told you before. You're not in a position

to threaten me. What you are doing – what you have already done, is tantamount

to treason. Do you think Harry Pearce will listen to your pleas that you have

been acting in his best interests? (_Ros mutinously drops her gaze from Sholto's_

_face)_ No, I didn't think so. We are your only friends now Ros, don't abuse that

friendship. It's very lonely out in the cold – not to mention dangerous.

_Sholto smirks threateningly at Ros and walks off._

_ROS (whispers to herself_): Oh God, Ruth. I'm so sorry.

_The camera follows Ros as she walks quickly down the street and then picks up another shot of her as she spots Valentino in the window of a restaurant. She opens her mobile phone and speed dials._

_ROS_: Hello Harry? I've found Valentino. No, not telepathy, just a lucky coincidence.

**SCENE 31: The Saloon Bar of a dilapidated Victorian Pub.**

**We see Harry sitting waiting at a corner table sipping a whisky when Connie enters the Bar and walks up to him.**

_HARRY (gestures to Connie to sit down and pushes over a tumbler of gin_):Thank

you for coming.

_CONNIE(smiles tersely_): Not at all. It's just like old times – there's nothing like

a spot of traditional tradecraft to get the juices flowing again. Now (_in_

_business-like tone_) why all the cloak and dagger?

_HARRY (frowning_): I can't put my finger on it, but I have a gut feeling that there are

some new and unwelcome ears on the Grid. (_smiles ruefully_) Maybe it's

just a case of geriatric paranoia, but all the same, I don't want our

discussions to be overheard. (_Pauses as his expression becomes more_

_serious and he leans forward and speaks in a low urgent voice_) Adam has

overstepped the mark.

_CONNIE (shrugs her shoulders_): When doesn't Adam overstep the mark? It's his

modus operandi - that's why you brought him in, in the first place.

_HARRY (insistent_): No. I mean really overstepped the mark. His relationship with

Ana Bakhshi has gone beyond the operational and he has been entertaining

her at one of our safe houses without clearance and without telling anyone.

_CONNIE (interrupting_): Silly boy. Still these situations are never clear cut are they

Harry? I mean, no matter how carefully you try and compartmentalise, these

things have a habit of getting messy.

_HARRY (shakes his head and purses his lips_): On its own it would be bad enough,a

stupid lapse of judgement; but remember he's also implicated in the Tim

Lehare business.

_CONNIE:_ Yes, an unfortunate situation I agree, but hopefully Lehare will pull

through and then we can get to the bottom of who set him up.

_HARRY (grimly_): Not without the help of a medium we won't. Tim Lehare died an

hour ago without recovering consciousness.

_CONNIE_: Oh shit!

_HARRY_: Precisely. A senior field officer of MI5 apparently attacks and kills a

journalist investigating MI5 involvement in the Teheran bombing and the

possibility of a subsequent coverup.

_CONNIE (quietly_): It's not looking good.

_HARRY:_ Ever the queen of understatement. No, it's definitely not looking good.

We just have to do what we can to smother the whole Lehare story –

bring Jo's tame journalist Kaplan in from the cold and make sure whoever

is behind this set up isn't allowed to stoke the flames any further. If our

complicity in the Teheran bomb gets out the peace deal with Iran will be

down the pan; not to mention what a field day will had by all interested

parties in the Middle East.

_CONNIE_: And Adam?

_HARRY_: That's what I wanted to discuss with you. I don't see any alternative, he's

going to have to disappear. We can hopefully sit on the story in terms of the

press but it's already being broadcast on the jungle drums at Vauxhall Cross

and God knows where else. The JIC are going to want Adam's head on a

spike on this one (_snorts_) probably more because of an un-licensed use of

Government property than endangering the peace process but either way

I have to get him under the radar and fast.

_CONNIE_: He won't agree to it.

_HARRY (with anger in his voice_): Well he won't have any bloody choice. If he

hadn't been distracted by the undoubted charms of the wife of the

Iranian Special Consul he would have dealt more effectively with the

situation. Maybe even spotted the setup before it was too late.

_CONNIE (raising her eyebrows and looking questioningly at Harry_): People in

love or (_with an ironic smile_) in lust, make mistakes Harry. Even in

our line of work where you're trained to separate off emotions, it's not

always possible to do so. I mean, I've even heard of one senior official

who disregarded all good practice and put his whole department in

jeopardy to save someone he had feelings for.

_HARRY (frowning at her_): Yes, thank you Connie. When I want crass and unhelpful

analogies with my own life history, I'll ask for them. Anyway this is a

totally different situation. Adam has just been self indulgent. If I'd followed

his path, I would have said to hell with duty and protocol and built

a serious relationship with Ruth with no regard to the consequences.

_CONNIE (looking directly at him_): Perhaps you should have.

_HARRY (shakes his head impatiently_): You're old enough to know that happy

endings only occur in fairy tales. Anyway, I haven't brought you out here to

play agony aunt Connie. We need to decide what should be done about

Adam, Ana, the whole mess.

_CONNIE (briskly_): Right. As far as Adam is concerned, I'll get Malcolm to

access some funds and a passport. (_pause_) Your best chance of persuading

Adam is to emphasise that it's only a temporary situation. There is no way

he will leave Wes behind if he thinks it could be long term.

_HARRY (quietly_): I won't lie to him Connie; besides which, he's not so stupid as

to believe any line I try and spin him.

_CONNIE_: Yes, but hopefully it's the truth. I mean, come on Harry, you can see

off the hyenas of Whitehall surely? You've done it often enough before.

_HARRY_: It's not as simple as that Connie. This whole Iran business is out of control.

There are too many interested parties involved, all with their own agendas.

As you know, I never relish being embroiled in politics at the best of times

and this present situation just proves my point. I can't guarantee what will

happen whilst I'm in the dark as to what end games are being played out

behind the scenes and Adam knows that.

_CONNIE (glancing over her shoulder to double check no one is within ear shot_):

And what about Ruth?

_HARRY (his eyes momentarily betray anguish before becoming guarded_): The

same. Until I figure out who is doing what and why; then we have little

chance of establishing who has taken her.

_CONNIE (her eyes narrow as she leans towards Harry_): You would tell me if

you knew or suspected anything more specific Harry, wouldn't you?

Don't try to play Sir Galahad and go it alone – remember how that

turned out the last time?

_HARRY (smiles_): Always the mother hen. Alright Connie, I promise. Now, it

looks as though you could do with a top up.

_CONNIE (sardonically_): Have you ever known me to refuse?

_As Harry gets up to move to the bar Connie catches his arm_

_CONNIE(in a low, conspiratorial voice_): So when do you want the funds?

_HARRY_: As soon as possible. I need to contact Adam before it is taken out of my

hands.

_CONNIE_: Fine. Better make mine another double.

_As Harry's broad shoulders are seen moving expertly to the front of the crowded bar, Connie takes out her mobile._

_CONNIE_: Hello Malcolm? I've got an urgent shopping list for you.

**SCENE 32: Wood Panelled Room in Country House**

**The camera pans around an empty room that appears to have been originally used as a bedroom, although it has obviously not been occupied for some time as there is no bedding on the walnut bed pushed into one corner and there are thick cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and criss crossing from the fireplace to the wood panelling that covers two thirds of the walls. The camera follows round the room until we see Ruth sitting on the floor with her wrist handcuffed to an iron ring embedded in the stone window frame. We hear a door opening and Ruth looks up.**

_RUTH_: What the hell do you hope to gain from keeping me here Juliet?

_Juliet walks languidly into the room and sits delicately on the edge of the wooden bed looking down at the manacled Ruth_.

_JULIET (in a cold, sardonic voice_): Ever the analyst, looking for motives. I'm not

here to give you answers Ruth so you can stop fishing.

_RUTH (defiant but obviously frightened_): I don't know what your game is or why

you've brought me here, but if you think for one minute that you can get

at Harry through me then you're very much mistaken.

_JULIET_: Two minutes in your company and I'm already bored. God only

knows what he sees in you. Look sweetie, you are way, way out of

your league here, so don't even try to work out what's happening.

All you need to know is that you are going to be kept here as long

as you are useful; so for your sake let's hope that's for the foreseeable

future. Make a nuisance of yourself and you'll just end up with a top up

of what you've already had. (_Juliet opens up a metal box she is carrying_

_in her hand to reveal two syringes. She points to each in turn_). That's this

one. This other one is the hors d'oeuvre, a little truth extractor.

(_Ruth utters a stifled scream and shrinks away from Juliet who picks up_

_the syringe and stabs it without a moment's hesitation into Ruth's arm who_

_moments later slumps to the floor_)

_Juliet calls over her shoulder to a male guard who comes into the room_.

_JULIET_: Take her downstairs and strap her into the chair in the main room.

_The camera tracks Juliet as she follows the guard down the stairs. She is greeted by_

_Sholto in a large living room furnished in heavy chintz sofas_.

_SHOLTO_: Did she tell you anything?

_JULIET_: I haven't the patience to play cat and mouse with our little desk clerk.

She'll tell us all we need to collaborate Ros's information in a few

minutes.

_SHOLTO (frowns_): It's a risk to keep plying her with these drugs. What if her

heart fails?

_JULIET (with a pretend yawn_): The state of Ruth Evershed's heart is really of no

interest to me. I'm far more interested in Harry Pearce's heart or more

precisely whether his heart will rule his head when he is informed of

her location. Whether our decoy is actually alive or dead by then is immaterial.

Now then, shall we get on with this before I have to administer another

dose?

_The scene fades as we see Sholto and Juliet advance on the bound, semi-conscious figure of Ruth tied to a large wooden chair._


	12. Chapter 12

STATE OF EMERGENCY

**STATE OF EMERGENCY**

_**CHAPTER 12**_

_**Scene 33: Harry's Office**__**. **_

_**Harry seated behind his desk with Connie and Ros sitting opposite to him.**_

_HARRY (in an irritable tone): _Have those bloody bug catchers finished yet?

_CONNIE (with dry humour): _Well, it's like an infestation of head lice; just when

you think you've got rid of them all, your head starts itching again.

_HARRY (grimacing): _Thank you for that image Connie.

_CONNIE: _Well Adam has rather rendered us persona non grata at the moment.

We're not in a good position to start dictating to our betters.

_HARRY: _If I were destined to live in a gold fish bowl, I'd have been born with gills.

Do your best to speed up the process and get rid of them. Now then Ros,

how are you getting on with your informant?

_Ros raises her eyebrows questioningly at Harry, who scribbles down a message on a piece of paper in front of him and holds it up to Ros:_

_The walls have ears._

_Find Adam. Malcolm has his number._

_Check he's Ok._

_Impress on him not to contact Ana._

_ROS (nodding her head to indicate her assent to his instructions): _Oh, I don't think

he has much fresh information, but I'm keeping channels of communication

open, just in case.

_HARRY (addressing them both): _We need to put this Adam business on one side at

the moment. Our priority must remain Valentino and the blueprints. When do

you think it's likely the handover will take place?

_CONNIE: _Well obviously, we can't be certain, but I should imagine he will try and

complete the deal sooner rather than later. He doesn't know how long he

can evade the Russians and as far as he is aware, we are also trying to track

him. I'd say definitely within the next 24 hours.

_HARRY: _Mmm. It's crucial we don't lose track of him or that holdall and also that we

identify who within the Iranian consulate is acting as the intermediary. We

have to try and stop any more of this nonsense happening on UK soil.

_ROS: _Surely once they find out that the plans are not in the bag, they'll just buy the

triggers elsewhere?

_HARRY (impatient at being cross-questioned by Ros): _That's precisely why we need

watertight evidence that the Iranians are trying to obtain nuclear capability.

We can't stop them seeking and probably obtaining nuclear triggers, but we

can stop them operating on the British mainland and also expose this whole

political charade of the peace negotiations.

_CONNIE (protesting): _If you remove the face-saving posturing of the peace

negotiations, you risk escalating hostilities.

_HARRY (wearily rubbing his hand down his face): _Fortunately I am able to leave

such duplicitous hypocrisy to the Government. I am only concerned with

safeguarding National Security. That means I will not tolerate foreign

powers running round our Capital trying to secure the means for a nuclear

capability which they could and would turn against us in the future.

_ROS: _The Home Secretary may not see it in quite the same way.

_HARRY(in an icy and dismissive tone): _That's why he is in Whitehall and I'm in

Thames House. Now, if you don't mind Ros, I have the more pressing matter

of a rogue Russian spy to catch, World Peace will have to wait till later.

_ROS (in an equally icy and scornful tone): _Doesn't it always?

**_Scene 34: Embankment. _**

**_Harry is alone on the bench facing the Houses of Parliament. He casually looks around and then dials a number on his phone_.**

_HARRY: _You're a bloody idiot, phoning me directly on the Grid. Didn't Ros say

that, thanks to you, we've got the cleaners at Thames House at the

moment?

_ADAM (we hear his voice and then move to a split screen head and shoulders shot of the 2 men): _Nice to hear from you too Harry. Yes, I know about the Spanish Inquisition, but this is urgent.

_HARRY (still angry): _It had better bloody be. I don't take kindly to being threatened

with arrest in my own office by jumped up plods.

_ADAM (in low, urgent voice): _The person behind the set-up. It's Hogan.

_HARRY (incredulous): _Hogan? Are you sure?

_ADAM (sarcastic) _Well no, I'm not sure. I normally go round accusing our closest

ally of betrayal and sabotage. Actually, come to think of it; that's more your

line of attack. (_more testily )_ Yes of course I'm sure. Lehare wasn't a

journalist – he wasn't even English. He was one of a group of homeless

East European illegals who hang round with the whinos under Waterloo

Bridge. One of then identified Lehare's, or rather Jan Cesczyznski's body

and gave me a description of the man who hired him: Short, dumpy,

American accent, thuggish threatening manner. Oh yes, and if that doesn't

convince you, he ID'd a photo of Hogan from twenty random faces.

_HARRY (interrupting with heavy sarcasm): _which you just happened to have

handy in your breast pocket?

_ADAM: _Er, yes, well; that's the other part of the jigsaw. I met up with Jo, who

obtained the photos for me …

_HARRY (interrupting again): _Intriguing word that, 'obtained' – it conjures up so

many possibilities …

_ADAM (ignoring him): _She also passed on the material that Kaplan gave her. He

was sent shots of me with Lehare and also detailed surveillance photos of

the Teheran blast with Zaf and I arriving at the British Embassy and then

leaving the next day.

_HARRY: _I presume they were sent anonymously?

_ADAM: _Of course.

_HARRY: _So how can we be certain it's Hogan?

_ADAM: _Come off it Harry. It's got Hogan's prints all over it. He bribes a cleanskin

to pose as a journalist and follow me. He knows that if I am under threat

I will retaliate and he then orchestrates the leaks to the press and has

Cesczynznski conveniently eliminated. No family, no work colleagues to ask

awkward questions. If Cesczynznski hadn't wanted to go and share some of

his windfall with his comrades under Waterloo Bridge, it's possible we

would never have traced him.

_HARRY: _The crucial question is, of course, not how, but why? I have my own theory,

but I think it's time I had a little tête-à-tête with our esteemed ally. Re-forge

the ties that bind in the 'special relationship'.

_ADAM: _I'm coming too.

_HARRY (firmly): _Definitely not a good idea Adam. The JIC want your head on a spike

at Tower Hill. Until we can prove the involvement of the Americans in the

set-up, you're staying well away. Is that clearly understood?

_ADAM: _Crystal clear Harry. (_beat pause_) I suggest we meet him in Trafalgar Square

where there are plenty of witnesses to ward off a rearguard attack and of

course, to provide Hogan with a fresh supply of stool pigeons just in case

he fancies trying to fit me up again.

_HARRY (sighing): _You must have been very irritating as a child. Bloody-minded and

disobedient.

_ADAM (in a light-hearted tone): _I always knew we had something in common apart

from an over inflated ego.

_Harry chuckles as he puts the phone back in his pocket. His face becomes more pensive as he leans forward with his elbows resting on his thighs, his hands clasped together supporting his chin as he stares reflectively at the grey, turbulent water. The camera pulls back gradually as the lone, hunched figure is seen isolated with the Houses of Parliament silhouetted in the background_.

_**Scene 35: **__**Split between Harry standing on the steps leading up to the porticoed front entrance of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square and Connie on the Grid.**_

_CONNIE (speaking on her mobile phone): _How did it go?

_HARRY (looking angry and depressed; keeps glancing around to check he isn't being overheard): _

Shit. In fact so shit that ritual disembowelment in front of the JIC notonly seems preferable by comparison,

but a real likelihood.

Hogan has apparently told the Iranians that we were responsible for the

Teheran bomb blast, oh yes, and if that's not enough he threw in

another gem. It now transpires that the plans for the nuclear

triggers have been deliberately doctored by the CIA to sabotage the

Iranian nuclear programme. You know, the plans which are at this very

moment sitting in the safe in my office. The only good news in all of

this is that Bob Hogan doesn't love me any more. The bad news is that

we need to get those plans back into Valentino's holdall PDQ, before

he makes contact with the Iranians.

_CONNIE: _Well actually Harry; the really bad news is that the handover isn't going

to happen. Valentino is dead. We followed him to St Botolph's church

in Lambeth, but he locked himself in and by the time Jo got inside he had

slit his wrists and was dead.

_HARRY (pinching the bridge of his nose): _Oh this just gets better and better. We've

been totally played by the Americans, like some kindergarten rookies and at

the same time we've managed to screw up the CIA's game plan to stop the

Iranians going nuclear. The Home Secretary's going to be really thrilled.

Hogan very kindly informed me that as far as he is concerned; when we're

useful we're useful and when we're not we're in the way. If this cock up

comes to light, we will be laid out as sacrificial goats to save face at

Whitehall.

_CONNIE (briskly): _Well, we'll just have to make sure that it doesn't come to light

then won't we?

_HARRY: _Hopefully yes. It would help if the US administration appointed CIA

operatives with the IQ and intuition of the present incumbent of the

White House. Bob is altogether more able and devious than is usual

to find in the US secret service.

_CONNIE: _Come on Harry, you relish a challenge.

_HARRY: _Yes, but there's too much at stake here to be distracted by playing games

with Bob Hogan. Right. I'm bringing Adam back with me. After this

showdown with the Americans, at least the Lehare story is dead in the

water.

_CONNIE (dryly): _An unfortunate choice of metaphor in the circumstances Harry.

(_beat)_ Why did Hogan do it? – set up Adam that is – what was he

hoping to gain?

_HARRY: _Officially? – because he didn't appreciate us stealing classified CIA Intel.

Unofficially? – to keep us distracted long enough that they could supervise

the whole nuclear triggers sale without consultation with their so-called

allies and without interference.

_CONNIE: _So, extraordinary rendition but this time without the planes and the pretty

orange uniforms?

_HARRY (grimly_): Quite. Diplomacy has always been a shark pool but just recently

the waters have become so muddied that you can't work out who's

biting who.

_CONNIE_: So. Are we going to help Hogan in his quest to be champion of the free

World?

_HARRY (sighs with resignation_): Well, I don't see that we have an option. He now

knows we have the blueprints. If it gets out that the CIA set up a sting

to disable the Iranian nuclear programme and MI5 blocked it; the

repercussions will be numerous and unpleasant. Adam and I will be

back in 10 minutes. Put your thinking caps on and come up with a

solution, fast.

**Scene 36: ****The Grid. 6 hours later**

**Harry, Connie, Malcolm and Jo are sharing a drink. An half empty bottle of malt**

**Whisky sits on Connie's desk.**

_HARRY (smiling_): Here's to a small sting that saved a bigger one. The Iranians have

their blueprints, the Americans have their scheme intact and Kaplan has his

scoop that exonerates Adam.

_JO_: Is that the end of it then?

_HARRY:_ I very much doubt that, but certainly enough good news to warrant a refill.

(he pours whisky into each of their glasses. At this point his phone rings. Harry glances at the screen and answers.)

_HARRY_: Hello Ros.

(_the camera goes to split screen between Harry on the Grid and Ros at the Laurenson Hotel. We see her with a gun pointed at Ana's head and thorough a half- open door we seen Adam lying_ _naked and semi-conscious on the floor in a pool of water_.)

_ROS_ (_her voice stressed and urgent_): I'm in Room 325, third floor of the Laurenson

Hotel. Ana Bakhshi has just tried to kill Adam – damn near succeeded

actually.

_HARRY (looking very alarmed, his voice anxious_): How is he?

_ROS_: He's not fully conscious, but I think he'll be OK. I've called an ambulence.

I've got Ana here. She says her husband made her do it. She drugged Adam

and then tried to drown him in the bath.

_HARRY (relieved at the news that Adam is alive become flippant_): "Hell hath no fury

like a woman scorned"

_ROS (stressed_): We don't have time to be facetious Harry. Ana's just told me that the

Iranians have known all along that the nuclear blueprints carried by Valentino

were tampered with. They set up a separate deal to buy from another source –

whilst we were running around aiding and abetting the Americans in their little

scheme, Bakhshi has got his hands on a set of circuit boards that actually

work. Harry, the Iranians have already got the means to create nuclear

missiles.

_HARRY (urgently but in a calm voice_): Do we know if the triggers are still in the

country?

_ROS (jabbing the gun against Ana's head_): Where are the triggers now?

_ANA (whispering and obviously terrified_): They're still at the Consulate.

_ROS (to Harry on the phone_): Ana says they are still in the Consulate.

_HARRY_: Can we trust her?

_ROS_: I think so – well, probably. She's intelligent enough to realise that

her life is hanging in the balance at the moment.

_HARRY (addressing his team as well as Ros_): Well, that's quite a seismic shift as

far as the balance of power goes. Iran has just joined the atomic club. The

Valentino affair was purely a smoke screen – we're not the only members

of the Nato alliance who will be left with egg on their faces today. (_pause_)

C'est la vie. We must adapt to the new scenario.

_ROS (in hard voice and glaring coldly at Ana_): What's to be done with Mata Hari?

_HARRY_: Get her out of there as soon as possible. She's the only bargaining chip

we've got. No matter how slim the chance of success, we've got to try and

locate those triggers and prevent them leaving the country.

_ROS_: I agree. I'll bring her out as soon as help arrives for Adam.

_HARRY_: No – get her out immediately. I'll have someone there to help Adam in

five minutes.

_ROS (reluctantly_): OK. There's one other thing Harry.

_HARRY_: Yes?

_ROS_: I've given Adam the impression that I've executed Ana. I think it's best he's

not informed of the actual situation. He's far too involved with Ana. I don't

want him compromising or even sabotaging negotiations with Bakhshi.

_HARRY:_ I agree. I'll make sure that the others are put in the picture. Take Ana to the

Safe house in Islington. I'll get Jo to come over and relieve you asap.

Well done Ros.

**Scene 37: Harry's Office**

**Harry and Connie share another drink, whilst we see desk officers still busy on the Grid.**

_HARRY (reflectively_): Am I getting too old for this malarkey Connie? I should have

seen through Bob Hogan's plotting.

_CONNIE_: Nonsense. Things are just more complex these days. At least during the

Cold War we know who our friends were.

_HARRY (smiles_): The problem today is identifying the enemy.

C_ONNIE_: Precisely. There aren't any ground rules anymore Harry, you know that.

Friend or foe, enemy or ally, everything is just smoke and mirrors. You're

still devious enough to match the best of them. What's the alternative?

Pack your bags and hand over the keys to the likes of Juliet Shaw and

Jason Belling?

_HARRY_: That's just coercive propaganda Connie. There are some amongst the

younger generation who still have a moral compass – Adam or Ros,

for example.

_CONNIE (snorts in derision_): Adam has too much moral conscience when it suits

him and Ros too little, to do your job. Adam can't keep his emotions in

a box and if Ros had any feelings they've atrophied to the point of

extinction. No, I'm sorry Harry, whatever you're transgressions and

shortcomings and God knows they've been enough in the past, you're

still the man for the job.

_HARRY (clearly amused_): You're getting romantic in your old age Connie.

_CONNIE (becoming more serious and pausing to take a sip of her drink_): Talking

of romance Harry. What are you going to do about Ruth?

_HARRY (frowning, takes a large gulp of whisky_): What do you suggest? At this

moment in time, I have no idea who's taken her.

_CONNIE (looking thoughtful_): or why?

_HARRY_: Well the why obviously throws up more possibilities. My gut instinct

is that it is somehow connected to the present crisis;

(_Harry shrugs his shoulders in a gesture of helplessness_)

but equally, I could be completely off base with that assumption. It

might be someone within the Service with a grudge who could identify

her; but, my God Connie, for all I know, it could be some saddo who's

just snatched her randomly and her body will turn up on Hampstead

Heath in a plastic bag.

_CONNIE (sternly_): Get a grip on yourself Harry. Hysteria isn't going to help. You

and I both know that the likelihood is that whoever took Ruth,

identified who she was and has kidnapped her as a means of gaining

leverage over you. You must have an idea of who ticks both boxes or

at least be able to narrow down the possibilities.

(_Harry reaches into a drawer of his desk and lifts out the sheets of paper he has been working on earlier in the day and pushes them across the table_)

_HARRY (quietly_): I've tried Connie. Do me a favour. Go through these, see if you can

see something I've missed. I've gone over and over the same list until my

mind is spinning and it hasn't helped. I've got to stay focused on recovering

the triggers from the Iranians before they leave the country. I can't afford to

be sidetracked (pause) but you and I both know that the longer she is held ...

…….. (_Harry's voice trails off and he drains his glass_.)

_CONNIE (sincere_): Yes Harry I know. I'll go through the list. Maybe a fresh pair of

eyes?

_HARRY (tries to smile at Connie, but he is obviously having to rein in his emotions_):

Thank you.

_CONNIE (thoughtfully_): Getting back to the Iranian issue. Where do you think

Bakhshi obtained the information that the blueprints were tampered with?

_HARRY (focused_): I've been asking myself the same question since Ros's

phonecall. The obvious answer is someone in the American Administration

or the CIA itself. I mean, it's possible that the British Government was

aware of the scam and blew the whistle, but I would imagine that is

unlikely. The Americans look upon us as powerless lapdogs to be wheeled

out when they want some political flim flam, not as allies with whom to

share sensitive information.

_CONNIE_: Are you saying it could be Hogan himself? That doesn't make sense. What

has Hogan or the American Establishment got to gain from sabotaging

their own sting?

_HARRY_: Don't be naïve Connie. It doesn't have to be an official or even a covert

policy decision. It's far more likely to be a leak motivated by greed, rather

than political expediency. Look at the latest scandal published in the

broadsheets today. A Turkish translator in the FBI has blown the whistle on

a whole nest of corrupt US officials selling secrets about military and

nuclear sites on the black market – McCarthy would definitely have

classified that as an un-American activity.

_CONNIE:_ What you're saying of course raises the interesting question as to who

actually know about this sting in the first place? Did it have official

government backing or did it originate with our esteemed colleagues in

Portman Square? I mean, for all we know, Hogan might have launched

a rogue operation on his own.

_HARRY (leans forward towards Connie and stares at her intently): _For what purpose?

_CONNIE: _Well, for any number of reasons.. He might simply be trying to win the

battle single-handed and seize all the glory, but on the other hand, he

could equally be one of your traitors on the market to the highest bidder

and there are a whole host of permutations between those two extremes.

The question is, when we deal with Hogan, are we actually dealing with

The American administration or even with the CIA or is he in fact

running his own parallel agenda?

_HARRY (grumbling): _Hogan is smart enough to run a whole series of parallel agendas

and duplicitous enough to conceal all of them. Officially, he is the CIA

spokesman in the UK; unofficially, God knows. All we can do is keep

an open mind and watch him closely. Actually, if he is pursuing his

own agenda, it's a bigger problem for the Americans than it is for us.

We are at best a sideshow to the main event in these negotiations. The

Home Secretary likes to puff out his chest and imagine he is a serious

player on the world stage, but it all just posturing. On the other hand,

if Hogan is trying to wreck the peace process, for whatever reason

and is playing games on UK soil, then we need to stop him.

_CONNIE: _As I said before Harry, it's all smoke and mirrors.

_HARRY (musing, half to himself): _Of course, an equally interesting question is where

Bakhshi obtained the circuit boards?

_CONNIE: _Ebay?

_HARRY (grimaces): _Very droll. (_pause) _On the other hand Connie, maybe you're

right. If terrorists can operate with impunity on the web, laundering money

and spreading propaganda; then maybe they are using it to source weapons.

Get Malcolm to double check if any unusual chatter has been picked up in

the internet links from the Iranian Consulate in the last three weeks.

_CONNIE (puts down her glass and gets up from the table): _I'll get on to it. And,

Harry, don't worry (_pause) _we'll find her.

HARRY (smiles slightly) Thanks Connie. Excuse me if I don't share your optimism.

In fact, if I were a betting man, I would say that the odds are against us on

that one.

_Harry reaches over and opens a folder from a pile on his desk in a gesture which is clearly intended to indicate to Connie that their conversation is at an end. Connie lingers momentarily in the doorway as she gazes at Harry with concern, before returning to her desk._


End file.
